Drogba away on Cup duty but Anelka is fit to face Hull

Anelka has not played since he scored his eighth goal of the season in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Portsmouth last month because of a hamstring injury.

But coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed the striker will return for the game with Hull and Anelka is hoping to re-discover the form he was showing before he was sidelined.

Chelsea will be depending on Anelka's form and fitness in January with 19-goal striker Didier Drogba and his Ivory Coast and club team-mate Salomon Kalou away at the African Nations Cup in Angola.

But the France international, 30, has no doubts that his transformation from an out-and-out striker into a more free, creative role behind Drogba has been a success.

"I wanted to show everyone I could play there and I wanted, even if I I'm not scoring a lot of goals, to be creative in the middle of the pitch," said Anelka. "I knew I could do it well. I'm not going on the pitch just to score goals, I am going on there first to win and to play well and then, if I have the chance to score as well, that's even better.

"I like this position and I enjoy my football when I'm playing there. This role is maybe why I am more consistent, even if we have not always had good results during December.

"But we are playing against big teams every game and if they stay back against us, it is hard for us to score, which gives us a big challenge every time. Even so, we are still first in the league and we will try our best to stay there now.

"I wanted to play this position when I first came to Chelsea, with Didier in front and me just behind, and I always said that.

"This season the manager gave me the opportunity to do it, to be free on the pitch and I feel good. The freedom I now have on the pitch puts me in a position where I can be up front sometimes, playing the striker, then I can be behind later in the same game or a left or right-winger.

"It gives me the chance to have some versatility and that is why I do what I do. Not a lot of people knew I could do this and I don't think Carlo knew me like a midfielder before he came here.

"I think he knew me as a striker but game after game, and in training as well, he saw that I could do this position because when Didier is playing up front, I like to drop behind and he trusted me to stay in this position after he saw that."

Hull's visit to Manchester United, due on Tuesday, January 26, has been postponed because the Premier League champions will be in League Cup semi-final action the following day.

Tonight's scheduled Manchester derby at Eastlands in the first leg of the Carling Cup cannot go ahead because of the weather and has been put back to Tuesday, January 19 – the original date for the second leg – with the return against Manchester City at Old Trafford re-arranged for Wednesday, January 27.

Last night's semi-final first leg between Blackburn and Aston Villa was also postponed.