Chelsea v Manchester United – Sunday 5th February – Stamford Bridge (18:00)
The English Premier League serves up another vital clash this weekend as 2nd place Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge in search of 3 points to stay within touching distance of leaders Manchester City. This is an important game for Cheslea who have struggled to find form and a win here is much needed in their attempts to finish in the top 4.
Chelsea are coming off a narrow 1-0 win against QPR in the FA Cup and at the time of writing this article still have to travel to face Swansea midweek. There was not much to write home about in their 4th round FA Cup clash as they yet again failed to raise their poor form. Their goal came from a poor referring decision as Daniel Sturridge dived forward after being nudged from a Juan Mata cross. Mata made no mistake from the penalty spot to put Chelsea through to the last 16 of the tournament. Chelsea were dealt a blow with Ramires suffering an injury that will keep him out till the end of February however, Frank Lampard, Jon Obi Mikel and Michael Essien will all be available for selection after recently returning from injuries. The return of Essien could be the spark to reignite Chelsea into form and spur players like Juan Mata, Daniel Sturridge and Fernando Torres to their potential. New signing Gary Cahill could be preferred over David Luiz alongside John Terry to deal with United’s attacking threat.
All the pressure now turns to Manchester United who are 3 points behind Manchester City and face a tough run in of fixtures with a midweek clash against Stoke City before they travel to face Chelsea and a match against Liverpool at Old Trafford next weekend. Two big plusses for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team is the return of key players Wayne Rooney and Nani. The pair are arguably Manchester United’s best attacking players and a win at Stamford Bridge will be more likely with them in the starting line-up. United’s FA Cup defeat at Anfield last weekend was a disappointing one after dominating possession but failing to break Liverpool’s resilient defence and create goal scoring opportunities. David De Gea was once again in the spotlight with a weak performance. His nervous presence behind the defence was perhaps the biggest factor in the defeat, and the decision by Ferguson to play him in such an intimidating environment was surprising from a manager of his calibre. United fans will hope the more solid figure of Anders Lindegaard will be seen between the poles this weekend.
Manchester United have won the last 3 encounters against Chelsea. However, Stamford Bridge should prove a tougher task this time. The draw is tipped.
