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ENGLISH Premier League Champions Manchester United travel to South-West London on Sunday as they take on Chelsea in an eagerly awaited Premier League clash. Games between Manchester United and Chelsea have decided the destination of the title in the last seven seasons.
But Chelsea have fallen well behind their northern rivals this season and with 12 points separating the two, the Blues are definitely out of the title race. The Red Devils are on a four-match winning run against Chelsea, stretching back to last season’s Champions League quarter-finals. When the two sides met at Old Trafford earlier in the season, the defending Champions prevailed 3-1 in a very open game that is remembered for Fernando Torres’ astonishing miss.
Chelsea: Tuesday night’s game at the Liberty Stadium epitomised Chelsea’s season so far: defensive mistakes, lack of creativity in midfield, toothless attack and flashes of old brilliance. As André Villas-Boas continues to rebuild a side that once dominated the English Premier League he struggles to maintain their competitiveness this season. Chelsea redefined their season’s ambition as securing a Champions League spot and they haven’t gone about achieving that with great merit either.
The draw at Swansea was their fifth stalemate in eight Premier League games and their sixth draw overall this season. They have had a problem in front of goal, where they have scored more than one goal in a game only once since the 2-1 victory over Man City in early December. In the same time period, they have maintained just two clean sheets. They now lie seven points off Tottenham in third while below them, Liverpool have reduced the gap to four points. Chelsea also face games against Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham between now and the end of the season.
Villas-Boas will be without numerous first team players for Sunday’s game as Ashley Cole is suspended after being sent-off against Swansea while Ramires joined Jon Obi Mikel and Frank Lampard on the injury table. John Terry missed the mid-week game with a knee injury, but he should recover in time to face United.
Man United: Sir Alex Ferguson watched his side draw level with Manchester City at the top as they took full advantage of their rival’s loss at Everton. With 16 games left in the season United and City are neck-to-neck in the table, separated only by goal difference. The victory on Tuesday achieved added significance as United got the job done despite missing 11 first-team regulars.
The loss to Liverpool in the FA Cup last weekend would have knocked them back a bit, but the stand-ins ensured there were no further slip-ups as Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov got on the score sheet.
United have won four of the five fixtures since losing 3-0 to Newcastle United on New Year’s Day, a run that includes victories against Man City and Arsenal. The return of Paul Scholes has brought a renewed composure to their midfield as the maestro has rolled back the clock with vintage performances. United should see some of their big names return to fitness by Sunday’s game, with Wayne Rooney, Nani and Ashley Young all expected to make it to the squad. David de Gea and Anders Lindegaard, both of whom missed the Stoke game after picking up late injuries, are also in the running for Chelsea’s game. –– Sports Campus.
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