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| Prem Preview: Chelsea - Manchester United
What: Barclays Premier League
Who: Chelsea (2nd EPL, 78/105 pts) v Manchester Utd (1st EPL, 81/105 pts)
When: Saturday, 26 April Kick-off: 1245 BST
Where: Stamford Bridge, SW London
All Or Nothing For Chelsea
Neither side covered themselves in glory in midweek Champions League action, but on Saturday Chelsea and Manchester United square up at Stamford Bridge in a potential title decider that could be a classic - or another dour stalemate.
The fixture scheduling seems to have gone a bit awry, as staging this game at lunchtime on Saturday to start the Premier League programme seems calculated to ensure the remaining games this weekend are an anti-climax. The kick-off time has also, inevitably, upset one of the managers - in this case United's Sir Alex Ferguson. No doubt influenced by the demands of TV - Sky are covering the game live - the timing seems tougher on the Red Devils than the Blues, because Chelsea played last Tuesday and will resume their battle with Liverpool next Wednesday, while for United it was the other way round: they played in Barcelona last Wednesday and will host the Catalans next Tuesday.
Still, at this stage of the season, with the big prizes within touching distance, the adrenaline should be coursing through the players' veins so strongly that the scheduling of games should not be too great an issue. This fixture has, though, come at the wrong time for one of Chelsea's key men, Frank Lampard, who is grieving the sad loss of his mother Pat from pneumonia this week and will almost certainly miss the game on compassionate grounds.
In contrast, United's highly-regarded Nemanja Vidic, an illness victim in Barcelona, is expected to be well enough to line up against the Blues, though he will face a late fitness test. United remained in Spain to train in warm weather following their draw with Barcelona, and travelled to London on Friday.
This could, of course, be the decisive game of the 2007-08 Premier League season.
Defending champions United are taking a three-point lead to the Bridge, where victory would take them six points clear of second-placed Chelsea, with two games remaining. Given United's hugely superior goal difference - plus 54 compared with Chelsea's plus 36 - that would effectively give the Red Devils an unassailable lead as they close in on their second successive title, record 10th since the advent of the Premier League and 17th top-flight league championship overall. Mathematically they actually need four points to make sure, but that goal difference advantage of 18 effectively represents another point.
However, a Chelsea win - and they have an outstanding record at home, as well as at home to United - would haul The Blues level on points with United and set up a real nail-biter of a climax to the season. It would then come down each side's last two matches. To nick the title from United., Chelsea would have to get a better pair of results at Newcastle and at home to Bolton, than United manage at home to West Ham and away to Wigan. Another factor in the equation is that, being only four points ahead of Arsenal, Chelsea could still concede the runners-up spot to the Gunners and so miss out on direct qualification to the group stages of next season's Champions League.
So, will Manchester United have one hand on the trophy by Saturday evening, or will Chelsea ensure the race goes down to the proverbial wire?
It was against United, at Old Trafford, that Grant began his managerial reign with Chelsea. The Blues were reeling from the dramatic exit of self-styled Special boss Jose Mourinho following three poor results, and few were surprised when the Red Devils triumphed 2-0, though Grant was unhappy with the red card for John Obi Mikel, the amount of stoppage-time played and United's last-minute penalty, converted by Louis Saha (remember him?).
And since then, Grant's Chelsea have been defeated only once in 28 Premier League outings (1-0 at Arsenal in December) and are currently on an unbeaten run of 18 League games.
As for United, they are in good form, have got stronger as the season has progressed, and boast both the League's most prolific attack and its meanest defence.
Both sides have kept 20 clean sheets in Premier League contests and, since the turn of the year, their records are almost identical - even down to both having secured away draws in midweek in the first legs of their Champions League semi-finals.
There is always a heated debate about the contrasting styles of these two sides, with the media and pundits tending to see things as a Star Wars battle between The Force and the Dark Side, Ferguson leading United's Jedi Warriors and Grant being cast as a Darth Vader-type spoilsport. Indeed, the media reaction to Grant's Chelsea (and that of most neutrals) has helped engender a bunker mentality at the Bridge which could work to Chelsea's advantage.
The Blues also enjoy another significant advantage in so far as this game is being played at a venue where they haven't lost in a League game since Arsenal beat them 2-1 more than four years ago. Chelsea are now unbeaten in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge in 80 matches, of which they've won 59. That is a run that spans three managers and one that could prove to be a key factor - especially as United have not won there for six years.
In fact United are without a win at the Bridge since Roman Abramovich took control of the club and began pumping millions into it. They've drawn once and lost three times in the Abramovich era, and for all their vaunted goal-power have failed to score while conceding five. The last time United took three points from the Bridge was in the 2001-02 season. And Chelsea have taken more Premier League points off United than any other club (40).
Given the circumstances of Grant's first clash with Ferguson, in September, Saturday's game - his 50th in charge - can be seen as his first 'proper' confrontation with the Scot. He will go into it buoyed by their draw at Anfield on Tuesday. Chelsea hadn't played well, and looked to be heading for a 1-0 defeat until John Arne Riise's dramatic intervention, the Norwegian producing a bizarre diving header in an attempt to deal with a low cross, and gifting Grant's side a lifeline with an unexpected own goal.
That has handed The Blues the advantage ahead of next week's second leg at Stamford Bridge, and in fact is the third own goal Chelsea have benefited from in their last six games (Manchester City's Richard Dunne and Fenerbahce's Deivid were the other unwitting donors).
The build-up to the game has seen the usual sabre-rattling comments from each camp designed to boost morale among players and fans in response to variations on the journalists' theme of: "Will you win?"
For example, Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has urged his team-mates to produce “another top performance” against United, while Didier Drogba has said his side must "play like champions" if they are to keep their title aspirations alive. Although The Blues have the benefit of that extra day’s rest, Cech pointed out that, “We had to play Monday and Thursday last week against Wigan and Everton and this time we have one extra day which is good but I don’t think 24 hours is such a big difference.” He added: “If we win the game it will keep the pressure on.”
The United view was typified by skipper Rio Ferdinand, who stated: "It's obvious we want to win at Chelsea. Success as a team is paramount. If we win, we'll get the plaudits we deserve. If we don't, we'll get the criticism we probably deserve. Winning the League and the Champions League is what I want to round off the season."
It is a fixture heavy with recent history: Chelsea secured their second successive Premier League title in the corresponding game two seasons ago by winning 3-0, while last season the Blues players formed a guard of honour for United, who had just been crowned champions before visiting Stamford Bridge for a 0-0 draw.
To add further incentive to the occasion, both clubs are chasing the Champions League/Premier League double, and this match might even be a preview of the Champions League final in Moscow, though Liverpool and Barcelona would dispute that with gusto. Nevertheless, both Chelsea and United may think they've done the hard part with the home legs to come in midweek.
Head-To-Head
All League Meetings
Chelsea 36 wins, Man United 55, Draws 40
Premier League only: Chelsea 9 wins, Man United 9, Draws 13
At Chelsea only:
League: Chelsea 19 wins, Man United 29, Draws 17
Premier League only: Chelsea 5 wins, Man United 4, Draws 6
Form Guide
Chelsea
22 Apr (Champions League) v Liverpool (A) DREW 1-1 (Riise og)
17 Apr (Premier League) v Everton (A) WON 1-0 (Essien)
14 Apr (Premier League) v Wigan (H) DREW 1-1 (Essien)
08 Apr (Champions League) v Fenerbahce (H) WON 2-0 (Ballack, Lampard)
05 Apr (Premier League) v Man City (A) WON 2-0 (Dunne og, Kalou)
02 Apr (Champions League) v Fenerbahce (H) LOST 1-2 (Deivid og)
Manchester United
23 Apr (Champions League) v Barcelona (A) DREW 0-0
19 Apr (Premier League) v Blackburn (A) DREW 1-1 (Tevez)
13 Apr (Premier League) v Arsenal (H) WON 2-1 (Ronaldo pen, Hargreaves)
09 Apr (Champions League) v Roma (H) WON 1-0 (Tevez)
06 Apr (Premier League) v Middlesbrough (A) DREW 2-2 (Ronaldo, Rooney)
01 Apr (Champions League) v Roma (A) WON 2-0 (Ronaldo, Rooney)
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