BLACKBURN ROVERS striker Benni McCarthy is confident his club can cope without him when he jets off to compete in the African Nation's Cup.

And he is tipping Rovers to take advantage of other teams who will be losing star players to the tournament.

McCarthy and midfielder Aaron Mokoena will be absent from Ewood Park for six weeks in the New Year as they join up with South Africa for the ANC.

The tournament will also be a blow for teams like Chelsea, who will lose Michael Essien, Solomon Kalou, Didier Drogba and Jon Obi-Mikel; and Portsmouth, who will be without Lauren, Djimi Traore, Kanu, Papa Bouba Diop, Sulley Muntari and John Utaka.

McCarthy, who has scored six times already this season, said: "There is a whole lot of pressure on African players. It is alarming how many will be leaving and it will surely have an effect on the Premiership.

"There's little or nothing I can do as a player since it is a FIFA-sanctioned competition."

And while the talk from Stamford Bridge is of emergency purchases in the January transfer window to compensate for the loss of Didier Drogba, the club's leading scorer last season, McCarthy believed Rovers had plenty in their armoury to sustain their league challenge.

Striker Roque Santa Cruz was on target for Paraguay on Saturday in their 5-0 romp over Ecuador, Jason Roberts is making his way back to full fitness after injury, and youngster Matt Derbyshire has never let manager Mark Hughes down when he has been called upon.

McCarthy added: "It is tough and often jeopardises the career of a player but everyone wants to represent their country at international level.

"Blackburn will cope without me."