Chelsea have reportedly confirmed that Nicolas Anelka will sit out the next two matches with the calf injury that kept him out against West Ham last weekend.

Anelka will miss matches at Birmingham on Boxing Day and the Stamford Bridge clash with Fulham on December 28th. Ancelotti will be able to turn to Kalou and Drogba to lead the attack for those two games, with the Ivory Coast set to allow both players to remain at the club until the end of the month before joining up with their national squad for the African Cup of Nations. However, the Chelsea boss will need Anelka fit throughout January with both Kalou and Drogba both away; Chelsea will hope that the French striker will return for gameweek 21 when they visit Hull.

Anelka will have been seen by some fantasy managers as an obvious replacement for the absent Drogba but this injury will now mean we’ll have to sit tight and monitor his situation before deciding on a replacement. Anelka’s absence will also make Kalou an attractive short-term prospect as an Fantasy Premier League midfield option, although given that he is set to depart for gameweek 21, it seems unlikely that many fantasy managers will take up the opportunity.