Chelsea's outside hopes of the Premier League title suffered another major blow today when Didier Drogba was ruled out of tomorrow's clash with Newcastle.

The Ivory Coast striker injured his ankle while shooting in training yesterday and was not part of the Blues squad that travelled to the north-east this afternoon.

Both Drogba and defender Jose Bosingwa (hamstring) stayed at the club's Cobham training base to receive intensive treatment in a bid to have them available for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final with Liverpool.

The injuries represents a significant setback for Chelsea, who are four points behind leaders Manchester United having played a game more.

Drogba has scored three goals in his last five games and, while Nicolas Anelka has recovered from a toe problem, his absence comes at a bad time for boss Guus Hiddink, who expects Newcastle to be rejuvenated by Alan Shearer's appointment as caretaker manager.

The Dutchman said: “There's always a reaction from the team and the crowd when a new manager comes in - it was the same here when I was appointed.

“Sometimes, when you are fighting against relegation, any impulse from people who have big personalities and a history in the club is good.  
“You always have your people who can prepare perfect training sessions. It's more about the psychological input a man like Shearer can have for a game like this.

“It is always good to see the big players in football go on to become managers and I expect Newcastle to become a team in his image.”