Chelsea-Manchester United Preview: A Tale of Two Starts as Heavyweights Clash

Ahead of this Sunday’s tantalising clash between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge I provide some initial thoughts, team news, squads, recent form, quotes from both teams, and a prediction of the outcome.

Initial Thoughts and Points of Interest

Games like this can decide the outcome of the title, and although there is still a long way to go before May, a victory here for either side will boost morale and hand them a psychological edge.

United fans who make the short trip to Stamford Bridge will no doubt need little invitation to remind Chelsea of the result in Moscow, and the Chelsea players will want to exact some revenge and widen the gap between the two sides in the Premier League table.

If Chelsea win they will go nine points clear of United, although the Red Devils will have a game in hand (against Fulham).

Chelsea have been boosted by the news that John Terry’s appeal against his sending off against Manchester City has been successful—a decision that has left Sir Alex Ferguson furious, and set him off on another rant that could put him in hot water with the FA.

Close pals Didier Drogba and Nemanja Vidic have been denied a reunion after their shenanigans in Moscow, and Chelsea fans will be hoping that the right Drogba shows up on Sunday afternoon.

Team News

Chelsea: John Terry is free to play after having his red card overturned by the FA, and Didier Drogba should notch up some more playing time on the way back to full fitness. Michael Essien is Chelsea’s only long-term absentee, after Michael Ballack made a return to action in midweek against Bordeaux.

Manchester United: Vidic and Carrick will miss out, and Dimitar Berbatov is a doubt with a knee injury. But Ronaldo should at least be on the bench after recovering from injury sooner than expected.

Recent Form

Chelsea: Another game, another glut of goals. Chelsea are top of both the Premier League and their Champions League group, and appear to be in fine fettle—the draw at home to Tottenham being the only negative so far.

Manchester United: United, on the other hand, are stuttering. They sit 14th in the Premier League table after picking up one win in three games, and they put in an awful performance against Liverpool last weekend, Sir Alex Ferguson likening their showing to a Conference side. Villarreal also held United to a frustrating 0-0 draw in the Champions League.

Improvement will be needed if they want to make it three Premier League titles in a row.

Quotes

Luiz Felipe Scolari has refused to get caught up in the hype surrounding Sunday’s match, insisting that it is just another game.

“This is one more game, nothing different,” he argued in his press conference before the game.

“The challenge when I came to England was to win the Premier League, not just single games. The challenge is to win all the games, not only games against Man United.

“I think for my players it is one more game also. Three points against Manchester United is the same as three points against Stoke City, against Wigan, against Portsmouth. No different.”

On-form Frank Lampard believes Chelsea can beat Manchester United—regardless of whether or not Cristiano Ronaldo plays.

"I don't know what the situation is with him and I'm not too concerned, really,” he said.

"He's probably the best player in the world having achieved what he did last year—you can't take that away from him. But whether after a few months out they'll put him back in, I don't know.

"If they do, we'll have to deal with that. We're good enough to deal with United at their strongest—we shouldn't want them weak. If they are strong, we still want to beat them."

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has poured cold water on suggestions that Cristiano Ronaldo could start the game.

"That was his first game back [the 0-0 draw with Villarreal] so it is a big ask to think about Sunday," Ferguson insisted, adding that Ronaldo had done well to get back into contention so soon after the surgery.

"To come back like that, without a practice match or anything, the boy has done very well."

Ferguson also confirmed that Berbatov was a doubt for Sunday’s game.

"Dimitar has a chance for Sunday but it is too early to say for certain," said Ferguson.

Ronaldo has sounded a defiant note ahead of the game, telling Chelsea it isn’t worth trying to kick him—because it wont have any effect.

"I know that the attempts to intimidate me on the pitch will start again immediately—but everyone finds sooner or later that it is difficult to make me lose my rag," he told The Sun.

"I'll be booted again but I will not kick out when it happens. I'm tough and, again, it's all just part of the spectacle.

"I'll do my damage as usual by paying them all back with my goals."

Prediction


Usually I’m very nervous and bereft of much confidence going into big games like this, but with the way we’re playing at the moment, I’m excited.

There’s no doubt we have started the season much better than Manchester United. If both sides play as they have been doing for the past couple of games, then I can't see anything other than a Chelsea win.

I can’t see that being the case but I’m still confident Chelsea can pick up three points.

2-1 Chelsea is my verdict.

What do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment.