Hassan Chamas
What: English Premier League
Who: Chelsea (1st; 27 points) vs Manchester United (2nd; 25 points)
When: Sunday 8th November, 2009 at 16:00 UK Time
Where: Stamford Bridge, London, England
Close-Call Chelsea
The midweek draw at the Vicente Calderon was Chelsea’s reminder that not all of their games can end with a four-goal margin or more. Carlo Ancelotti’s team has been in red-hot form recently, dismantling Bolton Wanderers twice in less than seven days by four goals to nil. Against a desperate-to-produce Atletico Madrid however, things got a bit complicated, as the Londoners had to wait for a couple of late Didier Drogba strikes to earn a rather lucky draw. Ancelotti subsequently declared his undivided love for the Ivorian striker, who has been looking back to his best.
Chelsea sit comfortably on top of the Premier League table and pundits are quick to warn they could steamroller their way to the title. However, should they want to defeat Manchester United in their clash this weekend then Drogba and co will need to produce their best.
Lucky Devils, Again
The fact that Manchester United are having some help from Old Lady Luck at the moment is not CIA classified material. Against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday, United had to come back twice from behind – one of them in the dying minutes of the match – to avoid embarrassment at Old Trafford. It is clear that the injuries to defensive duo Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have taken their toll on the club, without forgetting the midfield absence of one Ryan Giggs and what comes along with that.
Injuries alone though can’t be an excuse for any slip-ups, and nobody knows that better than Sir Alex Ferguson. On the field, the gaps revealed by CSKA Moscow in Man Utd’s defence – particularly through a certain Jonny Evans – will be the factor that the current champions will have to work on. The Ulsterman produced arguably his worst performance in a Red shirt against the Russians, and he faces a race against time to improve his form.
Recent form
Chelsea:
Chelsea 4-0 Bolton Wanderers (Carling Cup)
Bolton Wanderers 0-4 Chelsea (Premier League)
Atletico Madrid 2-2 Chelsea (Champions League)
Manchester United:
Barnsley 0-2 Manchester United (Carling Cup)
Manchester United 2-0 Blackburn Rovers (Premier League)
Manchester United 3-3 CSKA Moscow (Champions League)
Key absences
Chelsea: Jose Bosingwa (doubt); Yuri Zhirkov (doubt)
Manchester United: Ji Sung Park; Owen Hargreaves; Rio Ferdinand; Nemanja Vidic (doubts); Dimitar Berbatov (doubt); Ryan Giggs (doubt); Gary Neville (suspension)
Players to watch
Chelsea – Didier Drogba: Drogba spared the Blues’ blushes as they were on their way to a surprising defeat in the midweek encounter with Atletico Madrid. Two goals in the space of six minutes were enough to put Chelsea ahead in the final minutes, although Sergio Aguero begged to differ. He will try to surpass Fernando Torres in the goalscoring chart, and most surely will take a large step to do so should Nemanja Vidic fail to show up, both mentally and physically.
Manchester United – Antonio Valencia: The Ecuadorian is finally kick-starting his career in a red shirt. A late shot which forced a deflection against CSKA Moscow was enough to send his side all the way to the knockout stages. He may not be Cristiano Ronaldo material, but let’s face it: Who is?
Match prediction
Chelsea enter the game after the shake they received against Atletico in the Champions League, while Manchester United continue to bleed injured players, as the recent news suggests that Rio Ferdinand will spend more time in the treatment room. Added to that is the strong possibility that Nemanja Vidic will not travel to London, along with Evans’ defensive disasters, and Sir Alex Ferguson will need more than just relaxants to calm that budding migraine of his. A Chelsea win is the likely outcome of this event.
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