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Lampard hints that Drogba will start FA Cup final

Didier Drogba is expected to start at Wembley © Getty Images

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Frank Lampard has hinted that it will be Didier Drogba, not Fernando Torres, who starts for Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup final against Liverpool.

Lampard and his Chelsea team-mates took part in their final full training session on Friday ahead of the weekend's Wembley showpiece. David Luiz and Gary Cahill were notable absentees, seemingly confirming their exclusion from the Chelsea squad due to injury.

The big decision for boss Roberto Di Matteo centres on the sharp end of Chelsea's starting XI, namely who to play as the lone striker. Drogba was immense in their FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham, but Torres recently bagged a hat-trick against QPR and has a point to prove against his old club.

Drogba is expected to get the nod from Di Matteo to face a Liverpool defence that he has troubled in the past, and Lampard appeared to hint that the Ivorian will be preferred to Torres come 5.15pm on Saturday.

"We're very fortunate to have the pair of them," Lampard told Sky Sports News. "Didier has been absolutely fantastic for this club over the years, he's scored big goals when it mattered and he's a huge character in the dressing room.

"Fernando is playing well and he's a world class player, but Didier's record of scoring in big games and finals has been top drawer."

Lampard made little effort to play down the significance of Saturday's final, not only in the context of winning the FA Cup, but also in relation to Chelsea's chances in the Champions League. The England international believes victory at Wembley could easily aid their bid for glory against Bayern Munich.

"It'll be a great boost, we're in two finals and the idea of winning one and then taking that confidence into the next is fantastic," Lampard said.

"It's a very tough game, we want to win it, but hopefully all thoughts of Munich will be put on the backburner."

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