Hassan Chamas


What: English Premier League
Who: Manchester United (1st; 72 points) vs Chelsea (2nd; 71 points)
When: Saturday 3rd April, 2010, at 12:45 GMT
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, England

1999 Yearbook

Manchester United might have been favourites going into their Champions League midweek tie against Bayern Munich, but the Germans made sure that their 1999 “Camp Nou tragedy” would not reproduce itself.

Despite going one-nil up from the second minute courtesy of a Wayne Rooney strike, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team inexplicably took their foot off the gas against FC Hollywood, as if they were perfectly happy with the away goal. However, that proved to be a costly decision, as Bayern bombed Edwin van der Sar’s net from all angles, succeeding in scoring twice.

Nonetheless, the focus swiftly shifted to Wayne Rooney’s ankle injury, one that will rule him out for at least two weeks. With the potential title decider against Chelsea this weekend, Rooney’s absence couldn’t have come at a worse time for Man Utd.

Flying High

It appears that the Champions League setback suffered against Internazionale was nothing but a passing summer cloud for The Blues, who retaliated in magnificent fashion, leaving Portsmouth and Aston Villa in their wake as warnings of their destructive power.

Chelsea’s week has been only troubled by the news of Didier Drogba’s two-match European ban. However, with the Pensioners now out of Europe’s blue ribbon competition, the Ivory Coast striker will have no worries preparing for the make-or-break decider against the Red Devils, where a win would earn his team top spot.

One thing that Chelsea need to take into account is the depletion of their starting defenders. With full-backs Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa sidelined, Carlo Ancelotti’s team risk being exposed on the flanks by the likes of Nani and Antonio Valencia.

Recent form

Manchester United:
Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool (21/03 – Premier League)
Bolton Wanderers 0-4 Manchester United (27/03 – Premier League)
Bayern Munich 2-1 Manchester United (30/03 – Champions League)

Chelsea:
Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Chelsea (21/03 – Premier League)
Portsmouth 0-5 Chelsea (24/03 – Premier League)
Chelsea 7-1 Aston Villa (27/03 – Premier League)

Key absences

Manchester United: Wayne Rooney; Danny Welbeck; Wes Brown; Michael Owen; Anderson; John O’Shea (doubt)

Chelsea: Henrique Hilario (doubt); Michael Essien; Ricardo Carvalho; Branislav Ivanovic; Ashley Cole; Jose Bosingwa

Players to watch

Manchester United – Dimitar Berbatov: In the wake of Rooney’s absence, Berbatov will slot in as the sole striker in front of Ferguson’s five-man midfield. In this potentially league deciding match, the stage is set for the Bulgarian to make his mark and justify his £30M price-tag after what has been a disappointing season.

Chelsea – Frank Lampard: The Chelsea vice-captain produced a stellar performance in the demolition of Aston Villa. Such an excellent display will surely be needed for The Blues to surprise the current champions and come up with the goods at the Theatre of Dreams. Look for him to play a key role in any counter attack.

Match prediction

The tables have all of a sudden turned against Manchester United, who will be left to rue Rooney’s absence, while Chelsea will be on cloud nine after their recent Premier League wins. However, Man Utd have shown the aptitude to win in their main striker’s absence, and after a difficult 90 minutes, could likely come up with an “ugly” win. 

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