Nicolas Anelka hopes he's given the chance to establish a strike-partnership with Chelsea's fit-again Didier Drogba.

Anelka struck a hat-trick in their 5-0 victory over Sunderland and he said: "Didier and I can play together but we have not done that since I have been here.

"We have never started together up front. If we have started together then I was either on the right or left.

"So it's a shame, because I wanted to play with him when I first signed with Chelsea, but I hope it will happen.

"I think it could work with the two of us. But it's the choice of the manager."

Having spent much of last season lamenting the fact he was being played out of position on the flanks, by then manager Avram Grant, Anelka credits his white hot form to being employed down the middle.

And having got the goalscoring bug back, he has set his heart on topping the charts.

"The most I have ever scored in a season is 25, for Man City. I will try to do better than that. But what matters is for Chelsea to win more titles."