26 February,2014 08:46 AM IST | | AFP
On eve of the Chelsea clash in the Champions League round of 16 tie, Ivory Coast striker believes his side can prevail despite the English giants being '10 times better'
Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba. Pic/AFP
London: Didier Drogba has said former club Chelsea are "10 times better" than his current side, Galatasaray, ahead of the teams' Champions League meeting in Istanbul tonight.
Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba. Pic/AFP
"Are Chelsea better than Galatasaray? Yes, they are 10 times better," the Galatasaray striker, now 35, told the BBC on the eve of the Last 16 clash.
"If I play it is to win. It will be tough but Juve were better than us, so anything can happen. If there's a one percent chance of us winning. I'll believe it."
Drogba spent eight years at Chelsea, scoring 157 goals in 342 games and won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and also scored the winning penalty against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final - his final kick in a Blues shirt.
"It will be difficult," he said of playing against London club Chelsea. "You don't stay eight years in a place you don't like, especially in football - it is very emotional. I love Chelsea but I play for Galatasaray now and I will give everything for them.
"When you're happy at a club, you want to stay forever," said Drogba who joined Chelsea from Marseille for £24 million in 2004. "But sometimes you can't do everything you want to do. I am proud of what I achieved."
Asked about the possibility of working again with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, the Ivory Coast forward said: "There are lots of ifs. It is only if and if and if. We are not there yet."
And he insisted he was happy working under current boss Roberto Mancini, the former Manchester City manager.
"They're very different, two different personalities but with the same mentality. They want to win, they want to win trophies. They are winners."