Allen Hamilton

What: English Premier League
Who: Chelsea (5th; 45 points) vs Manchester United (1st; 60 points)
When: Tuesday 1st March, 2011, at 19:45 UK time
Where: Stamford Bridge, London, England


Has He Scored Yet?

A £50M fee was always going to weigh heavily on Fernando Torres’ shoulders following his switch from Liverpool to Chelsea in the January transfer window, yet the Spaniard was expected to get off the mark at once. And when that did not happen, and the striker was repeatedly substituted by boss Carlo Ancelotti, questions began to be asked about how Torres has disrupted Chelsea’s well-oiled attacking unit. With Didier Drogba, for so long the Blues’ attacking mainstay, being eyed by Turkish side Galatasaray amongst others in a sign of his discontent, Torres needs to find the net soon to dispel the doubters.

However, while is is true that the former Liverpool hitman has yet to play a full game for Chelsea, the win at FC Copenhagen in the Champions League suggested an understanding may just be developing between himself and Nicolas Anelka – and that is good news for the Blues if it continues.

Chelsea sit 15 points behind Manchester United coming into this one and their focus will have to be on beating the Old Trafford side for different reasons than has been the case in recent seasons. Now Ancelotti is targeting a top four finish, rather than eyeing a fight to the death with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, although this is not something with which Torres agrees, spying a slender chance of the title: "This will be an interesting game because it can make us come back to fight for the title, it is one of the most important games of the season right now and if we win this one we are closer to them and we will still have one more game against them."

Effortlessly Moving Up the Gears

Over in the Manchester United dugout, Sir Alex Ferguson has had to contend with more than a few accusations of a below-par outfit this season, yet the bandwagon has kept rolling on. That Arsenal, who are not statistically any better off at this stage of the season than they were in the last campaign, are United’s closest challengers, speaks volumes about how Ferguson has built a machine that can still top the pile even when still not in top gear.

In recent weeks though, United have shown that they are moving up through the gears as the season gets serious. Recovering from the loss of their unbeaten league record at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ferguson’s side saw off Manchester City via a supreme Wayne Rooney overhead kick. An FA Cup and Champions League break meant United had to wait for their next Premier League outing, but Wigan Athletic were brushed aside (4-0) and Mexican striker Javier Hernandez’ movement against Roberto Martinez’ side was a joy to behold and stands as proof that United have a gem.

With Chelsea and Liverpool in the space of just a week though, this is not now time for United to lower the revs, a fact Portuguese winger Nani well appreciates: "It’s the most important period of the season and I think that if we can beat Chelsea and Liverpool then we’ll have a fantastic opportunity to win the league. But that’s easy to say; it’s much harder to do it."

 

Recent form

Chelsea:
Fulham 0-0 Chelsea (14/02; Premier League)
Chelsea 1-1 Everton (19/02; FA Cup)
FC Copenhagen 0-2 Chelsea
(22/02; Champions League)

Manchester United:
Manchester United 1-0 Crawley Town (19/02; FA Cup)
Marseille 0-0 Manchester United (23/02; Champions League)
Wigan 0-4 Manchester United (26/02; Premier League)

Key absences

Chelsea: Alex; Yossi Benayoun

Manchester United: Ryan Giggs (doubt); Michael Owen (doubt); Anderson; Jonny Evans; Antonio Valencia; Rio Ferdinand; Park Ji-Sung

Players to watch

Chelsea – Fernando Torres: The Spaniard gave Nemanja Vidic a torrid time whenever Manchester United met Liverpool, notably in the 4-1 destruction at Old Trafford in the 2008/09 campaign. Now, Torres can begin to repay some of that £50M Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich dug into his pocket to find by masterminding a win over Sir Alex Ferguson’s team yet again. Torres believes the title is not yet lost – he must prove it on the pitch.

Manchester United – Edwin van der Sar: United’s strikers may have had a field day at the DW Stadium against Wigan, but Sir Alex Ferguson was quick to sing Edwin van der Sar’s praises too. The 40-year-old shot stopper has looked as sharp as ever between the sticks and he will no doubt be called upon to produce at least one world-class save at Stamford Bridge.

Match Prediction

While some in the Chelsea camp may say publicly that the title is not yet dead, a 15-point margin appears far to much ground to make up on a Manchester United side who won’t drop points easily in the title run-in. It is more likely Ancelotti’s side wish to concentrate on the Champions League and simply secure a top four league finish, and a win here would help. With Liverpool to come next Sunday, Ferguson won’t want to lose this clash, at any cost. Expect United to keep it tight and Chelsea to settle for the draw. Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United.

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