Drogba anticipating Marseille return

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has spoken of his delight at being able to lead his team-mates against former club Marseille on Wednesday.

Drogba spent just one season with the Ligue 1 club but remembers his time there fondly, and has often spoken of his desire to return to the Stade Velodrome with the Blues.

Now, the Ivory Coast international will get the opportunity when Chelsea wraps up their Champions League group-stages campaign at the French champions.

“I am a bit overwhelmed by all this but it’s okay,” Drogba told Marseille’s website.

“I am so overwhelmed by so many emotions that I don’t really know how to deal with this situation. It feels funny. It is the first time I have been in this kind of situation.”

“I just can’t wait to be there. At last my team-mates are going to discover the (atmosphere at the) Stade Velodrome which I’ve been talking about for so long.”

“After the match, I will do a tour of the dressing room which I inhabited for a year.”

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has admitted he is at a loss to explain the Blues’ recent dip in form, which has seen the English Premier League champions lose three and draw two of their past seven games in all competitions.

While the Blues have already secured top spot in Group F and a place in the knockout stages, Ancelotti hopes Wednesday’s match will give his side a chance to rediscover their best form.

“Chelsea have difficulties at the moment – we are trying to look for the reasons,” Ancelotti said.

“Maybe tomorrow will be an opportunity to recover. We want to do well, to play our football and get the result we want.”

“We give a lot of importance to this game because we want to come back playing our football.”

“The result is not important but we need to give a good performance, so we will be focused. Both teams will play a good game.”

Marseille coach Didier Deschamps shrugged off Chelsea’s recent form as irrelevant, and said the French champions hope to put on a great show for their fans.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect time to meet Chelsea; I don’t think you could call them ideal opponents,” said Deschamps, who knows all about the English club after spending a season with the Blues as a player.

“Chelsea are going through difficult times, but that happens to every team. Their recent results haven’t been positive, but when you see the quality of their team, I’m not concerned for them and I’m sure Carlo Ancelotti will find the answers.”

“We have a great game to play in front of a full house despite the fact that there is nothing at stake.”

“There will be changes, but no experiments. The players who take to the pitch will be competitive and playing for the win.”