Deschamps hopes for Drog return

The Ivory Coast striker will return to the Stade Velodrome to face his former club, knowing he will be given a marvellous reception by the fans. Drogba, now 32, spent just a year at Marseille, scoring 18 Ligue One goals, plus another 11 in Europe in 2003/04 after arriving from Guingamp. His goal return made him a hero among the Marseille fans and the Chelsea ace has often spoken of finishing his career back at Stade Velodrome. Chelsea have already finished top of Group F, with Marseille through in second, so there is little but pride riding on Wednesday's game. Deschamps, though, will just be glad to see Drogba back at his former stomping ground. "Every coach appreciates Drogba," said Deschamps. "If you know a coach who doesn't rate him, maybe you can introduce them to me. "He's someone everyone would want to have in their team. He's a player of a very high calibre who had one great season at Marseille and the supporters took him to their hearts, which isn't easy. "But tomorrow he's an opponent who, as he's said before, is very attached to Marseille and maybe one day will wear the shirt again. I don't know if that's feasible or not, who knows." Deschamps insists he will not experiment with his side tomorrow and although he is aware that Chelsea are in a mid-season slump, the Marseille coach still expects a difficult encounter. Chelsea have won just one of their last six league games, though they remain unbeaten in Europe with five wins out of five. "I won't experiment tomorrow," said Deschamps. "Maybe I will try to rest some players but I need to pick a very competitive team because this is a big team. "Maybe with Saturday in mind, I'll take some players off. I don't want to lose players to injuries. I won't put anything at risk in a game where there is no pressure. "It's true that Chelsea are in a difficult period. Every team has difficult moments in their seasons. "The results haven't been good even if the performances have been mostly good. They were unlucky with some late goals. I don't think that Chelsea's form is the same as in the first game between us. "The team won't be the same as in the first game between us but they have quality players and I know Carlo Ancelotti well, I think he'll find good solutions so I don't have any worries about their potential." Meanwhile, Marseille goalkeeper and captain Steve Mandanda is relishing the match. "It's my first Champions League game without pressure, we've prepared well and it'll be a decent game," said Mandanda. "We know we're going to play a big team tomorrow. Maybe for the fans it's like an exhibition match but for the players it's still an important game. There's not too much pressure but it matters to us. "Whether it's Drogba in front of me or whoever it is, my aim will be the same, to keep a clean sheet. I'm not focusing on Drogba especially."