/world sport
LONDON, England -- Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been selected in the Ivory Coast's preliminary squad for next month's African Nations Cup.
Drogba's absence is a major blow for Chelsea but Ivory Coast are set to gamble on his fitness.
The 29-year-old is currently sidelined after undergoing surgery on a knee injury on Saturday, and Blues manager Avram Grant this week claimed he would be out of action for around three weeks.
But Drogba's injury problems have not, however, stopped him from being included in Uli Stielike's 26-man squad, along with teammate Salomon Kalou.
Arsenal defenders Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue, Bolton's Abdoulaye Meite, Emerse Fae of Reading and Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora are the other Premier League players who have been picked.
The event in Ghana begins on January 20 and runs until February 10 and the loss of star players is likely to have a significant impact on major European clubs across many leagues.
The Nigeria squad for the tournament was also announced on Tuesday with Premier League Portsmouth losing strikers Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka as they bid for a place in Europe next season.
Everton will also be hit by the loss of defender Joseph Yobo and striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu. Chelsea midfielder Jon Obi Mikel has also been called up to coach Berti Vogts' strong squad. E-mail to a friend 
| Most Viewed | Most Emailed |
From the Blogs: 
Sit tight, we're getting to the good stuff
