United v Chelsea

18.09.2011

United face another stern examination of the incredible home record against Chelsea..

Form GuideThe Reds may have lost the 100 percent start to the season at Benfica in midweek but a draw was a good result in the context of the group. In the Barclays Premier League, Sir Alex's attacking tactics have brought a glut of goals and four excellent victories on the spin. Chelsea have also started well under new boss Andre Villas-Boas. After drawing at Stoke on the opening weekend, the Blues have taken a maximum nine points from their last three fixtures and sank Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on Tuesday.

Ins and OutsNemanja Vidic (calf), Rafael (shoulder), Tom Cleverley (foot), Danny Welbeck (hamstring) and Darren Gibson (ankle) all miss out. Ashley Young and Rio Ferdinand are available after being rested in Lisbon while Antonio Valencia and Darren Fletcher returned from injury lay-offs in the Benfica clash. Chelsea are sweating on the fitness of Didier Drogba after his head injury against Norwich and Villas-Boas must decide whether to start with Fernando Torres or Danny Sturridge up front. Petr Cech and David Luiz are fully fit again.

Last MeetingIn a pulsating encounter at Old Trafford, the Reds brought the house down with a very early strike by Javier Hernandez. Nemanja Vidic's header doubled the lead as United took a huge step towards winning the title. Frank Lampard pulled one back and a number of missed chances by the hosts kept things tense all the way until the final whistle, which signalled scenes of joy around the stadium.

Top ManJohn Terry is the man who epitomises the Blues' spirit, aggression and determination. A constant force at the back, he'll be as keen as ever to prove the Londoners are capable of wrestling the title back from Old Trafford. He'll be tested by the United attack and mocked by the Stretford End, but expect him to be heading balls away from the danger zone all afternoon.

Quote/unquote"It will be a fantastic game. The games with Chelsea over the last seven years have been very close affairs. There's usually only one goal in it and I think it will be tight again on Sunday." - Sir Alex Ferguson.

Any sub-plots?Matches between the two clubs are rarely dull and revenge will be on the minds of the Blues players after United beat them four times last season and were only defeated in a rearranged game at Stamford Bridge by a debatable penalty. The penalties defeat in Moscow still hurts the West Londoners, and Terry in particular, and a rousing occasion is guaranteed.

Whistle BlowerPhil Dowd takes charge of the big game. The much-respected referee took charge of this season's Community Shield match against City at Wembley and also last season's 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, plus the title-clinching draw at Blackburn.

Rivals WatchLiverpool are at Spurs on Sunday (13.30) and City will be in London, taking on Fulham (15.00), while the Reds are doing battle with Chelsea.