Chelsea did the double over United in the last campaign—two victories which effectively won the title for the west Londoners. A repeat of last year’s performance by the Blues and the title race will be thrown wide open again.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping that veteran Ryan Giggs will have recovered from the hamstring strain that has kept him out of the last three matches, and be fit to play some part in Tuesday’s blockbuster away to Chelsea.
Central defenders Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans may also be competing for places, though to play either of them in such a crucial fixture after a couple of weeks lay-off may be a risk the United manager is not prepared to take.
Skipper Nemanja Vidic is of course the first name on the team sheet, and Chris Smalling has done a fine job in support while the others have been absent—not least in the Champions League away trip to Marseille last week.
Ferguson was more than happy with the way his defence performed in France. “We showed good resilience against Marseille. It was a solid result and a solid performance from us. We defended very well and defending is going to be the name of the game,” he said on the Manchester United website.
“If we get that stability and concentration we’ll be very difficult to beat.”
Chelsea fans will be hoping that Fernando Torres can repeat some of the sparkling performances he has put in for Liverpool against United in the past. The Spanish striker would dearly like to open his Chelsea account in this fixture.
He will remember giving Vidic a torrid time a couple of years ago when Liverpool came away from Old Trafford with a shock 4–1 win.
Central defenders Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans may also be competing for places, though to play either of them in such a crucial fixture after a couple of weeks lay-off may be a risk the United manager is not prepared to take.
Skipper Nemanja Vidic is of course the first name on the team sheet, and Chris Smalling has done a fine job in support while the others have been absent—not least in the Champions League away trip to Marseille last week.
Ferguson was more than happy with the way his defence performed in France. “We showed good resilience against Marseille. It was a solid result and a solid performance from us. We defended very well and defending is going to be the name of the game,” he said on the Manchester United website.
“If we get that stability and concentration we’ll be very difficult to beat.”
Chelsea fans will be hoping that Fernando Torres can repeat some of the sparkling performances he has put in for Liverpool against United in the past. The Spanish striker would dearly like to open his Chelsea account in this fixture.
He will remember giving Vidic a torrid time a couple of years ago when Liverpool came away from Old Trafford with a shock 4–1 win.
Chelsea’s Russian international Yury Zhirkov took the field for the first time in three months when he came on as an extra time substitute against Everton in the FA Cup. He also played the last few minutes against FC Kobenhavn in the Champions League.
Zhirkov told the Chelsea website, “It is good to be back among my teammates after some frustrating months in the treatment room, but now I am looking to the future and want to play an important part in the squad.”
“It took longer than I wanted for me to get fit again but now I am back I want to show everyone that I can be an important player for Chelsea. We are still competing for trophies and have a lot of important matches where the full squad will be needed so I want to play my part.”
The former CSKA Moscow star will be itching to play some part in Tuesday evening’s encounter.
It is unlikely that Chelsea would need any encouragement to be up for this one, but they will have been stung by Sir Alex Ferguson’s remark on the Manchester United website that the battle for the premiership is now a two horse race between United and Arsenal.
However, Ferguson did concede that at Stamford Bridge “our record over the last seven years or so has been poor. We have to do something about that and that’s what Tuesday is about.”
United will be determined to consolidate their position at the top of the pile, but Carlo Ancelotti’s team will certainly not be lacking in confidence with recent history on their side.
Zhirkov told the Chelsea website, “It is good to be back among my teammates after some frustrating months in the treatment room, but now I am looking to the future and want to play an important part in the squad.”
“It took longer than I wanted for me to get fit again but now I am back I want to show everyone that I can be an important player for Chelsea. We are still competing for trophies and have a lot of important matches where the full squad will be needed so I want to play my part.”
The former CSKA Moscow star will be itching to play some part in Tuesday evening’s encounter.
It is unlikely that Chelsea would need any encouragement to be up for this one, but they will have been stung by Sir Alex Ferguson’s remark on the Manchester United website that the battle for the premiership is now a two horse race between United and Arsenal.
However, Ferguson did concede that at Stamford Bridge “our record over the last seven years or so has been poor. We have to do something about that and that’s what Tuesday is about.”
United will be determined to consolidate their position at the top of the pile, but Carlo Ancelotti’s team will certainly not be lacking in confidence with recent history on their side.
