Drogba will on March 18,2014 be making a return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since leaving Chelsea last year.
The Ivorian spent eight years at Stamford Bridge and gave the club their first UEFA Champions League trophy with his very last kick in a Chelsea shirt.
Mikel says he is yet to hear from Drogba, but while understandably looking forward to facing his friend and former team-mate, he stressed the importance of focusing on overcoming a side now managed by Roberto Mancini.
'I'm sure he will text very soon, he's probably having a drink after seeing the draw, but it will be great to have him back,' said the Blues midfielder.
'We shouldn't get carried away about him coming back; he is a player that was here for eight years, he won major trophies, he's a big player with a big personality.
'Obviously he had to move on but Chelsea continue, we have to win games, he's coming here with his new club, Galatasaray, who we want to beat, so we shouldn't get carried away about him coming back, we want to win the game.'
The game will be the first clash between the two sides since they both met in the group stages of the 1999/2000 tournament, the Blues winning 1-0 at home and recording their biggest Champions League away win over in Turkey with a 5-0 victory.
Galatasaray secured their place in the knockout stage courtesy of a narrow 1-0 win over Juventus in their final group game, with Wesley Sneijder scoring the crucial goal, and the Dutchman, as Mikel explained, is just one more player we will need to keep tabs on.
'They are a great team,' he said. 'Didier, Wesley, they have a good team and obviously they have Roberto Mancini who is trying to implement his philosophy and change the way they play.
'It will be tough but it's a game we're looking forward to. It will be good to meet old rivals, who you have played against in the past, as well as old team-mates.'
Galatasaray supporters are renowned for their passionate backing and their ability to make life difficult for opposing players, but having appeared as a substitute Chelsea played Fenerbahce - Galatasaray's local rivals - in 2008, Mikel is aware of the kind of atmosphere which will greet Mourinho's men in Turkey on February 26,2014.
'We know what to expect from the fans,' he explained. 'They will be on top of their team and support them but it's up to us to not listen to them and make sure we go out there and play our game.'he said in an interview on Chelsea's official website.
No comments:
Post a Comment