Carlo Ancelotti is anticipating a very different challenge at Wigan to Chelsea's previous away game but it is one he faces with plenty of players available.

The manager was pleased with the returns to action for Joe Cole, Paulo Ferreira and Yury Zhirkov on Wednesday, and with their physical condition following the match. It means he has only Deco and Alex unavailable for the trip to the north-west.

Deco is recovering from a calf problem suffered on international duty while Alex had surgery abroad on his groin.

'Alex has returned from Brazil and he can play in two weeks,' Ancelotti reports.

'I don't know if Deco can go to Cyprus to play but for sure against Liverpool he will be there.

'I am very happy for Joe because after eight months it is not easy to play the way he played against Queens Park Rangers,' the manager continues. 'He shows very good condition.

'Yury had a different problem but he played a good 60 minutes and now he is in quite good condition. He is a very dynamic player so he has to improve but he is now 70 per cent of his top physical condition. They will travel to Wigan and will start on the bench, but if necessary they can play.'

Didier Drogba is over the cramp episode that brought a premature halt to his game against Spurs last Sunday.

'He completely rested and then trained very well yesterday and he is right to play tomorrow,' is Ancelotti's good news.

While summing up the physical state of players, the boss also considered another of those who played in the Carling Cup midweek - Sam Hutchinson.

'He is doing very well and not only in the match. He had a lot of problems last year but now he stays well and we have to maintain his condition. He cannot train all the days strongly because after one year with injury it is not easy to return to training - but he is a very good young talent and we have a lot of trust in him.'

Moving on to the challenge ahead, Ancelotti is briefing his players that although there will be little difference to his side's approach to the game, Wigan's play will be a big change from Stoke's ballistics.

'They like to play football on the ground and they don't use a lot of long balls. It will be a different match because they like to attack and move the ball with short passes. We have respect for this team because they have very good players.'