Chelsea to start Bosingwa for first time in over a year

Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa are both set to start for Chelsea today against Wolverhampton Wanderers after long injury absences.

Carlo Ancelotti confirmed yesterday that the pair would return, although England midfielder Frank Lampard remains on the sidelines.

Drogba, winner of the Premier League Golden Boot last season, has not played since Chelsea's 2-0 defeat of Arsenal three weeks ago after suffering from a virus. He missed the 0-0 draw at Villa Park last weekend and will be welcomed back by Ancelotti, who said that he is "fit and able to play".

But it is the return of Bosingwa which will most delight the Blues manager. The Portuguese right-back, who came on for the last 14 minutes at Villa Park last Saturday, is due to make his first start for more than a year after undergoing knee surgery. "I can say that Bosingwa will start – this is very good news after a long period," said Ancelotti.

"Everyone is excited to see him back and he's a very important player. We need a full-back with power and resistance. "

Ancelotti could not bring the same good news about Lampard. The England midfielder is undergoing the longest injury absence of his career, having not played since August. "Frank is progressing well and the next step will be to train with the team and after that to play. We have to be patient... We don't want to take a risk and so, for this reason, we have to take more weeks to put him in the best position to play."