The Standpoint

Red Devils seek to stop Blue rampage

by

Abhishek Mukherjee

In what is dubbed as a clash of titans, title holders Manchester United will play table-toppers Chelsea on Sunday.

The Premier League fixture at Stanford Bridge will prove to be an extremely crucial affair since a loss for the Blues could bring the Red Devils lead on points atop the Championship.

Chelsea would heavily depend upon their star striker Didier Drogba, claimed by many as the best contemporary striker in the world. Drogba could be a nightmare for Manchester United's back four just as he was when he scored the only goal against them in the 2007 FA Cup final.

United, fresh from their 3-3 comeback with CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League fixture, which confirmed their progress to the last 16, have been tested. They looked out of sorts against a resurgent Liverpool side and in Old Trafford trailed by 3-1 against the CSKA side, before staging an unbelievable comeback – so typical of them.

After having lost Cristiano Ronaldo and talented striker Carlos Tevez this season, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been struggling to find a perfect combination. Berbatov, however, has more than compensated the loss of Tevez by displaying magical touches in front of goal.

They've only been able to name an unchanged back five once this season. Injuries have meant that the Ferdinand/Vidic centre-back partnership has been used in less than a third of their matches.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been the team to beat this season, largely due to the clinical approach by manager Carlo Ancelotti. Drogba, at 31, is in the form of his life, and Lampard has got back his touch. In fact, they have hardly put a foot wrong this season.

The goal threat of Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and the in-form Frank Lampard will be constant and the gap at the top will be five points unless United come up with something special.

United have it in them to spring surprises. The last time in January the two sides met at Old Trafford, United blew Chelsea away. This time, Chelsea would be seeking revenge.