Kalou insists Chelsea can handle physical Stoke

Salomon Kalou insists Chelsea will not be intimidated by FA Cup opponents Stoke City.

Kalou, 24, insists Cup holders Chelsea will not be affected by the controversy.

He told The Sun: "It will be difficult but we can cope with physical sides. We have players who can run, fight and do everything, so I am not worried about the physical side of things.

"We know how they play and we are really confident about the game. We know they are a difficult team to play but we can do it. Are they strong enough to knock teams out of their stride? Yes, but we have already played them this season and we beat them.

"It's an important game. We have a good chance to go to the semi-finals and we won the FA Cup last season, so we are in a good mood to do the same thing this season.

"We won't give up our trophy without a fight.

"When you know there are no more big teams in the Cup - like Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal - we know we have a good chance to do the same thing again this year."