Miller warns of the Anelka factor

Albion hitman Ishmael Miller has warned that former training partner Nicolas Anelka is in the form of his life as he heads to the Hawthorns with Chelsea.

The young forward does insist the Baggies will not be daunted by Chelsea's cast of millionaires, as the Hawthorns hosts its most glamourous date of the season so far.

Anelka moved to Stamford Bridge last year from Bolton but struggled to find his form until this campaign.

Luiz Filipe Scolari brings his thrilling side to the Black Country for a top-versus-bottom clash and Miller is well aware of the dangers of the in-form Anelka, who he rubbed shoulders with at Manchester City.

Miller said: "I was a youngster when he at City but he was there when I started to train with the first team. He is a great player. Over the years he has scored so many goals and you can only watch and learn from players like that.

"You want to try to emulate the great bits in their game and try and put them into yours. You just try to do some of the things that he does, because you try to take out the best bits of all the great strikers in the world and put them into your game.

"He is always going to score goals. He has got a bag-full again this season and hopefully it won't happen against us.

"As a striker you have got to learn your trade. He has always been a great player. He has been a great player ever since I watched him at City.

"This season he is going great for him and he is scoring lots of goals. He may have hit his peak. He is obviously playing with great players around him which is going to make him an even better player. He has hit his peak and realised his full potential, which is amazing.

"Didier Drogba is a great striker as well. I've got similar traits to him in being quick and strong. They are the sort of players I try to emulate – the Drogbas, Adriano's and Adebayor's.

"That is my kind of striker. They are great strikers. You are trying to take what great things they do in their game.

"You try to learn from them and the movements that they make. You are always learning and watching the best strikers. You are trying to emulate their game to make you a better player."

The match pits the Baggies against a Chelsea side who were knocked out the Carling Cup by Burnley in midweek but are in prime form on their travels.

They have won 5-0, 3-0 and 2-0 in their last three away games at Middlesbrough, Hull City and Blackburn Rovers.

But Miller insisted Albion will not be daunted by the challenge.

He said: "It can't really scare you, it should spur you on. You want to play against the best players in the world and put your talents up against them and see what you can do.

"You try ever so hard against every team but for me you try even that much more against the better teams because you want to show what you can do.

"Chelsea are one of the best teams in the world. There are not many better teams than them."

Miller is hoping to carry his own strong recent form into the clash with the Premier League's current top dogs.

After waiting more than two months for his first Premier League goal, Miller opened his account against Newcastle at St James' Park, following that up with a strike against Blackburn before drawing a blank at Liverpool last Saturday.

He said:" "At the start of the season I was always getting chances. They just weren't going in. Things weren't going the way I planned but of late my game has picked up again.

"The chances I've had have happened to go in and any player knows sometimes it goes for you, sometimes it doesn't. Luckily at the minute it is going alright for me."