Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that he will rest Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou against Burnley.
Chelsea set to leave out Ivory Coast pair against Burnley
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that he will rest Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou against Burnley on Saturday.
The star strikers returned to Stamford Bridge on Thursday after playing in the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast.
But the Italian coach wants to give the pair more time to recover from their Angolan exertions and is instead targeting Tuesday's game against Hull City for their comeback.
Ancelotti said: "Didier and Kalou came back yesterday and they are well and fit.
"But they need to work for some days and so will not able to play tomorrow. They will play on Tuesday against Hull.
"Didier will stay here to train. He has come back very well, also Kalou. They are fit but they travelled yesterday and so we don't want to take the risk for the next game."
Two wins on the bounce against Sunderland and Birmingham means the Blues are now one point clear of Manchester United and two ahead of Arsenal, having played a game less than their rivals.
Respect
Ancelotti knows a victory at Burnley would heap more pressure on their title challengers, who are set to face each other at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
But the Blues boss is expecting a tough test at Turf Moor - and also at Hull on Tuesday - as both teams are battling against the Premier League drop.
He added: "Our job is to win and play well tomorrow and then we can watch a fantastic game between Manchester United and Arsenal.
"I am focused for tomorrow. If we are able to win, any result between United and Arsenal is good for us.
"But the Arsenal game is not a decisive match in terms of the title because there are a lot of games until the end of the season.
"We could be in a very good position if we win our next two games. It won't be easy though because Burnley and Hull are teams involved in the bottom of the table, so they will put strong pressure and determination into the game.
"So we have to pay attention. We played very well at home against Birmingham and Sunderland and we want to do the same away.
"Now we have more possibilities. We have one more point over Manchester United but we must respect the other teams. To be favourites for the title now is not important."
