United v Chelsea

Victory over Chelsea would leave United just one point away from the title…

Form guideThere's no getting away from the statistics: Chelsea have won five of their last six games in all competitions and are on a roll. That said, the one game they didn't win was against United. At Old Trafford. The Reds, meanwhile, go into the game after losing the last league encounter but, in the meantime, progressing to the Champions League final.

Ins and outsDarren Fletcher still isn't ready to start a match, according to Sir Alex, after getting a few minutes under his belt in the midweek win over Schalke. The midfielder had missed the previous 12 games due to a virus. The boss says Patrice Evra "should be fine" despite picking up a knock on Wednesday night, while Wayne Rooney was merely rested and is expected to start on Sunday. United's only absentee is long-term casualty Owen Hargreaves. Chelsea are in even better shape, with nobody reported to be out or facing a late fitness test.

Last meetingIn a classic Champions League quarter-final encounter, United carried a one-goal lead into the second leg at Old Trafford, where goals from Javier Hernandez and Ji-Sung Park either side of Didier Drogba’s breakaway strike sealed a 3-1 aggregate win and progression to the last four.

Top man
In comparison to the hubbub caused by Chelsea’s capture of Fernando Torres on the January transfer deadline day, David Luiz’s arrival at Stamford Bridge was low-key. And yet his impact on the pitch has been anything but. The Brazilian centre-half has taken to the Barclays Premier League like a duck to water and has impressed during his 11 appearances thus far. Famed for his big hair, Luiz is known for his attacking tendencies as much as his defensive ability and has already scored twice for the Blues.

Quote/unquote
“We must be favourites for the title, only because we are three points ahead. But that can evaporate quite quickly as we realised against Arsenal on Sunday. We have a big job to do yet – we have three games left and the drama is not finished.” – Sir Alex Ferguson

Any sub-plots?Sub-plots? Who cares! There's only one thing at stake on Sunday and that's three points. Whoever wins will, more than likely, go on to lift the Barclays Premier League trophy. Any Vidic v Torres or Lampard v Carrick battles are incidental this weekend.


Whistle-blowerHoward Webb is a man used to the big occasion. Widely regarded as the best referee in the Premier League, the former policeman’s talents were recognised by both UEFA and FIFA last season, who selected him to take charge of both the Champions League and World Cup finals.

Did you know?The last time United conceded a first-half goal at Old Trafford in the league was during last season’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, when Joe Cole flicked the ball past Edwin van der Sar at the near post.

Rivals watch
Manchester City will secure a top-four finish with three games to spare if they win at Everton and Tottenham lose at home to Blackpool on Saturday. Arsenal have a tough game against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday.