Grant praise for Chelsea's top Drog

Published Dec. 16, 2009 12:55 a.m. ET

foxsports

Grant's defenders will come up against the Ivory Coast international when Portsmouth head to Stamford Bridge for a Premier League clash on Wednesday evening, providing Drogba overcomes a back problem he sustained in training on Tuesday night. The Pompey boss knows all about the powerful Chelsea forward following his eight-month tenure as Blues manager during the 2007/08 campaign. Grant also signed French striker Nicolas Anelka who joined Drogba in firing Chelsea to the Champions League final, as well as second place in the Premier League that season. Drogba has netted 18 goals in all competitions already this term, while Anelka has weighed in with seven. Grant refuses to highlight the duo as Chelsea's only attacking threat, but admits his charges could have their work cut to stop them. He said: "They are very good players but good midfielders can score and so can good full-backs. Chelsea is a good team. "But for the moment, I think no-one is better than Drogba. I think Nicolas is a very good player too and this is the reason I signed him." Following their trip to London, Portsmouth will welcome Liverpool to Fratton Park on Saturday. They then face a relegation six-pointer with West Ham on Boxing Day, before tackling Arsenal at home on December 30. With such a daunting fixture list on the horizon and his side five points from safety, Grant could be forgiven for feeling nervous. He said: "I think someone up there is trying to test me. "This isn't an easy game but this is the fixture. What can we do about it? The thing we can do is perform on the pitch and that's what we will do." Portsmouth are unbeaten in their last two games after defeating Burnley 2-0 on December 5 and drawing 1-1 at Sunderland last Saturday. While their recent momentum could be interrupted at Stamford Bridge, Grant says Portsmouth's fight for survival can go to the wire. He added: "We won't finish the season in January or February. "It will be a long, long season for us and a long, long battle. "If the players play with a lot of spirit and show a lot of character, we can do things, even at the last minute."