Drogba to play in League Cup tie against Fulham

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba will face local rivals Fulham in their League Cup tie on Wednesday night after recovering from a concussion suffered against Norwich City in their Premier League clash last month. The Ivorian has missed the wins against Sunderland and Bayer Leverkusen, as well as Sunday's loss to title rivals Manchester United, in which strike partner Fernando Torres showcased both why Chelsea were prepared to pay £50 million for him, and why he has struggled for confidence of late. The Spanish striker flicked the ball past United goalkeeper David de Gea after a wonderful run, but also missed an open goal after later rounding the 'keeper, and Drogba will be itching to get back in the team against Fulham and force his way into manager Andre Villas-Boas' plans. The manager has announced that he is adopting a policy of playing young players in the competition, listing Josh McEachran, Ryan Bertrand, Romelu Lukaku and Oriol Romeu as a number of players who will also take part on Wednesday evening. "Opportunities will be given to our youngest players and reaching a starting XI will not be difficult for you guys [the media],” the Portuguese boss told reporters ahead of the game. "The rest we have to put ourselves in a situation where we can try to win the game and try to continue in the competition and that’s what we’re going to do.”