Chelsea vs. Manchester United: Gargantuan Match Preview

Chelsea will be hoping new signee Fernando Torres replaces his current boots with his goalscoring pair, as the Blues hope to resurrect their title chances against the Red Devils.

The champions have enjoyed an inconsistent campaign in manager Carlo Ancelotti's second season in charge, but will be looking to make a statement after a season of criticism.

After a merciless start, the Blues have significantly stalled, seeing a 15-point gap open up between them and their rival for the crown, Manchester United. If the West London club are hoping to bridge that gap, they will have to start tonight by securing a much needed win at Stamford Bridge.

With a number of crunch clashes with teams around them coming up, the Blues will hope to reset their season with a set of solid performances.

The £50 million Torres will surely be the key to success for the Blues. If they are to come out of this game with anything to show for it, Torres will need to be an active contributor to their cause. He has yet to break his duck for his new club and what better opportunity than in a fixture that could decide if their title hopes are indeed just pipe dreams.

In a humorous illustration of how things have gone this season for the Blues, United's focus coming into this fixture isn't even Chelsea. Instead, the Manchester club will have their eyes on their nearest competitors, Arsenal, who will be looking to capitalize on any slip-ups.

In another byline to what should be an engaging game, Tuesday's clash also pits the league's most free-scoring team against it's cheapest defense.

Last Meeting

This will be the first encounter of the season between the two giants of English football. This match, which was previously set to be played on the 18th of December, was one of many fixtures rescheduled following some of the worst snow fall to hit the United Kingdom in recent years.

Form Guide
(Last five games—Premier League)

Chelsea: W-W-W-L-D

Manchester United: W-W-L-W-W

Chelsea have accumulated an impressive home record against the Red Devils over the past few seasons. Chelsea are unbeaten in their last eight against United, securing five wins and three draws in that span.

By their high standards, the Blues have been poor at home in recent fixtures. Only managing to win two of their last six in front of their own fans, while falling to two defeats and two draws.

United on the other hand, come into this game on the back of two impressive wins, the most recent of which was a four goal dismantling of Wigan away from home. United will hope this rich vein of goalscoring continues as their record in West London has been far from good in the recent past. 

The Red Devils have failed to score in five of their last seven visits to the Bridge, scoring only once in each of the other two fixtures. This does not bode well for a team hoping to stay ahead of its rivals in the title race while distinguishing the fading hopes of a possible contender.

Team News

Chelsea

After a week in which shocking revelations about a training-ground shootout surfaced, Ashley Cole has received the welcome support of manager Carlo Ancelotti.

The incident, involving the shooting of an air-rifle at the Chelsea training ground which injured a work experience student, has again put Cole in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

However, Ancelotti, who has handled the issue behind closed doors, has stated that his left-back will be ready for action on Tuesday.  

Ancelotti only selection issue ahead of kickoff is regarding the return of star striker Didier Drogba from injury. The Italian tactician is conflicted over whether to break up the Torres-Anelka partnership which has shown signs of life recently in favour of the Drogba-Torres tandem.

Yossi Benayoun continues to struggle with an ankle injury and will be kept out of this fixture.

Manchester United

Rio Ferdinand continues to struggle with a calf injury and has been ruled out of tonight's fixture in London along with central defender Jonny Evans, who is struggling with an ankle issue.

Following an FA decision not to take any further action on Wayne Rooney for an errant elbow in the game at Wigan on Sunday, he is set to feature from the start against the Blues.

Long-term absentees: Anderson (knee), Park Ji-Sung (Hamstring), Owen Hargreaves (Thigh), Antonio Valencia (ankle) are all ruled out.

Projected Starting Lineup

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Malouda, Anelka, Torres.

Manchester United: Van der Sar, Rafael, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, Nani, Fletcher, Scholes, Carrick, Rooney, Berbatov.