Man Utd v Chelsea preview
Titanic title tussle at Old TraffordManchester United welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford for what promises to be a pivotal point in the Premier League title race.
Leaders and defending champions the Red Devils hold a one-point advantage over the Blues ahead of their Saturday lunchtime showdown, with just five further games remaining following their head-to-head clash.
Arsenal, given their previous powers of recovery, should not be discounted from the reckoning, but they are three adrift of Chelsea and will be without crocked captain Cesc Fabregas for the remainder of the campaign.
England fans may have breathed a sigh of relief at the news Wayne Rooney suffered only minor ligament damage when twisting his ankle awkwardly in the closing moments against Bayern Munich, but to United supporters the implications are much more significant.
Rooney will be fit for the summer's World Cup, but requires a stint on the sidelines expected to be between two and three weeks, sidelining him for the key clash with Chelsea, Wednesday's return meeting with Bayern and several more vital fixtures.
Dimitar Berbatov is the obvious replacement for Rooney, having deputised well in the recent 4-0 victory over Bolton where he found the net twice. Yet the Bulgaria international is still to convince many inside Old Trafford who find fault with his languid style and seemingly relaxed approach.
Sir Alex Ferguson was less than impressed with his side's performance at the Allianz Arena and will not tolerate a repeat with the Red Devils having already put their bid for silverware in one competition in jeopardy with a below-par showing.
Hargreaves
Ferguson could elect to make further changes from his midweek starting XI, with Ryan Giggs and Antonio Valencia the most likely to be involved.
Owen Hargreaves and John O'Shea are in contention for a spot on the bench after long-term absences with their respective knee and dead leg problems, with midfielder Hargreaves the more likely to feature.
While the hosts are without their star striker, Chelsea will be bolstered by the return of leading marksman Didier Drogba following a minor knee complaint.
The Ivory Coast international did not feature against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge last time out, although his absence was not felt as the Blues romped to a stunning 7-1 success against the top-four hopefuls.
Carlo Ancelotti does have injury problems of his own, with the visitors' defence particularly stretched entering the home straight.
Ashley Cole (ankle), Ricardo Carvalho (ankle), Jose Bosingwa (knee) and Branislav Ivanovic (knee) are all sidelined, along with midfielder Michael Essien (knee).
Chelsea claimed a 1-0 success over the Red Devils when the two teams met in West London earlier this season, but suffered a 3-0 reverse on their last visit to the home of their title rivals last term.
Possible starting XIs:
Manchester United: Van der Sar, Neville, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Fletcher, Nani, Carrick, Park, Giggs, Berbatov.
Chelsea: Cech, Ferreria, Alex, Terry, Zhirkov, Mikel, Lampard, Malouda, Ballack, Anelka, Drogba.
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