Emotional Ancelotti focused for Gunners test

Carlo Ancelotti is expected to lead his Chelsea side into their meeting with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge despite the manager enduring the trauma of losing his father, Guiseppe, this week.

Ancelotti will return to England shortly after the family funeral in Italy and join up with his players and staff in the team hotel the night before the game and assistant manager Ray Wilkins concedes the whole squad has been affected by the manager’s personal grief.

“Carlo arrives back in the country on Saturday and will join us in the hotel on Saturday evening,” said Wilkins. “He will be on the sidelines on Sunday. He might come back on Saturday night and not feel up to it but please God that’s not the situation.

“He’s football daft, it’s his passion so he’ll want to be on that touchline on Sunday.”

Wilkins added: “The players were down yesterday to be perfectly honest. They have a fantastic rapport with Carlo and they were saddened by the news. So yesterday’s session probably wasn’t quite as bright as it might have been.

But today they will be back focused on the game on Sunday.”

Should Ancelotti return to his club duties, his primary aim will be to ensure his side maintains the progress they made in the midweek Champions League victory after suffering back to back defeats against Newcastle United in the Carling Cup and Manchester City in last weekend’s league fixture.

After that first league loss Chelsea will be boosted by the return of Didier Drogba, who was suspended for the visit of Marseille, and while the striker will start, Ancelotti will expect an improved performance from the Ivorian who disappointed at Eastlands.

Drogba has traditionally enjoyed his meetings with Arsenal and last season scored four of the five goals Chelsea scored against the Gunners.

“He scores against everybody because he is a world class footballer,” said Wilkins. “He always does extremely well in big games. I think he is a player that rises to the occasion and with the spotlight on us he will do that on Sunday.”

Chelsea stand three points clear at the head of the table despite last weekend’s defeat because of Arsenal and Manchester United’s failure to take full advantage of the slip.

Arsenal unexpectedly fell 3-2 at home to West Bromwich Albion although, like Chelsea, they returned to form in the Champions League winning at Partizan in Belgrade.

A lengthy injury list will do nothing to help the Gunners chances of building on that result, with skipper Cesc Fabregas jut one of a number of key players expected to miss the game.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, however, believes his side can still pull off a win despite the loss of the Spain midfielder to a hamstring problem.

“I believe we have enough strength to win the game,” said Wenger. “If we turn up with a great performance – and I am convinced we will – we will beat them.

“Football is down to the performance on the day. Have we the potential to beat Chelsea? I say yes. Are Chelsea a good team? I say yes, but we can beat a good team.”

Keeper Manuel Almunia is still injured so Lucasz Fabianski will continue in goal following his heroics in Belgrade.

“He had a good game and can just add another good game to the first one,” Wenger said.

“That’s what I want him to do and I am convinced he can do that. Our job is about grabbing your chance when you have it. You must be ready the day you have your chance.”