[Chelsea FC News - Chelsea Football Club | The Chelsea FC] Manchester United vs Chelsea LIVE - Match Preview

[Vishal Marathe]

Manchester United vs Chelsea

(English Premier League 2011)

Date: Sunday 19th Sept 2011; Kick-Off: 16:00 BST

Venue: Old Trafford

Manchester United vs Chelsea - Catch all the latest team news, match preview, pre-match analysis, interviews, followed by LIVE match and a lot more right here at Chelsea FC News.

Manchester United vs Chelsea: One of the biggest game of the season is upon us and it doesn't get any bigger than this. Manchester United along with their neighbors City are the only teams to have 100% win rate after the first four games. Chelsea are two points behind Manchester United and a win for Chelsea will see them go ahead of Manchester United.

Manchester United vs Chelsea - Promo

Chelsea Team News

Dider Drogba misses out again, as he is still feeling the after effects of the concussion after his awkward clash against Norwich goalkeeper.

Apart from Micheal Essien our long term absentee, Andre Villas Boas has a fully fit squad in front of him. Ramires is also available again following a European suspension.

John Terry and Frank Lampard who were rested for the mid-week European tie against Bayer Leverkusen will definitely be re-instated in the starting line up.

Manchester United Team News

Manchester United are without the injured quartet of Nemanja Vidic, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley and  Rafael. 

Ferdinand and David de Gea will resume their normal duties after being rested for the mid week European tie against Benfica.

Probable Team Line-ups:

Manchester United: De Gea, Smalling, Jones, Ferdinand, Evra, Nani, Anderson, Giggs, Young, Rooney, Hernandez.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Terry, Luiz, Cole, Mata, Lampard, Ramires, Meireles, Torres, Sturridge.

Refree: Phil Dowd

Andre Villas Boas on the game against Manchester United:

"I just hope that the players are able to put on a good show for the fans because the fans are the ones who carry the most emotion and are with the most passion, the real passion for a club's colours"

"We [the coaches] just try to do our best for the players to perform to the fullest extent of their talent."

"It is a game against a title contender and winning it will put us in a better position than we are in. Drawing it we will be the same. Losing it, the statistics of the Premier League's history show that we could still do it and we would still fight for it. I just hope I can motivate the team enough to win."

"Regarding mind games, I really don't know how to position myself, I just have to wait to see how we are provoked and if there is need to respond then very well, but if there is no need to respond then I don't."

"In the end I don't know if it really affects the mindset of the players, who are the most important guys. You can react in different ways and then you can transmit other ideas to the players. The most important thing is for the players to feel comfortable and to have belief in their manager. If a manager concedes an advantage of that kind it might look as if he is subject to pressure."

Andre Villas Boas on the Chelsea squad:

"It's good to have everybody fit. Of course it is more headaches to me. To be fair my worst day is the day I have to make selections and pick 18 or 19 to take to the game and select the 11 when everybody is so good. It takes a bit of my heart out when you have to do it, but it is just a manager's choice."

"Didier made a medium intensity session with us yesterday, today high intensity but it will be too soon for the Man United game, so maybe out."

"Ross [Turnbull] is coming along quite strongly and will join us soon, Hilario might have picked up an injury yesterday with a knock and is another doubt."

"One of them will be available but Hilario picked up a big knock yesterday and went for a scan so we are trying to find the extent of the injury to his hip and Ross is making a steady recovery from an injury he picked up in a reserve team game and is at 80 percent"

Andre Villas Boas on Manchester United:

"It's for all of us to praise when any team in the world starts a league like that, it is impressive and the fans are able to enjoy these kind of goals from Man United or Man City or any team in the world who starts a goalscoring spree like this one. It's good for all football."

"We are confident with what we have been doing so far. Of course we would prefer to have been level on points by this date but it didn't happen. We think we had an important point at Stoke. It's early season and the Premiership is so unpredictable."

"It's the fifth game of the season. I think if any manager is judged on five games of the season there is not something wrong with the manager there is something wrong with the people who run clubs."

"We have made a good strong start in the Premiership. This game comes at a good time for us because both teams feel very motivated and feel strong so hopefully this will be enough for the spectacle to be excellent which all of us should hope for."

"Normally when there is this high expectancy for a game sometimes things go the other way round and it is a boring, tactical game. Hopefully it won't because that's not the culture of the Premiership. I think it will be a high-intensity game fuelled by emotion."

"Anything that comes out from that game won't mean anything. Maybe it will play to the motivation for the team that wins or both teams if we draw."

"Let's wait and see, we are confident coming from a good European start as well and know the game is going to be a big challenge but hopefully everybody in the club is able to give one step further in effort for us to try to get the three points at Old Trafford [but] observing the behaviours of the Premiership table you will see it will not be determinant for the rest of the season."

Andre Villas Boas on Sir Alex Ferguson:

"Ferguson promotes talent, young talent, and you have a couple of good quality young players coming through from Cleverley to Jones to Welbeck and Chicharito. This plays to the importance of the work that he does. Sir Alex can take the best out of all his players and choose two strong starting elevens. He has been doing this throughout his life."

"In '86 [when Ferguson started at United] I was too young and was in love with my Porto. I didn't have enough football knowledge to extend myself. It was the first division and it just didn't play on any channel like it does today."

"I think my love for the Premiership also started when the Premiership started broadcasting itself a bit more. The first team I member studying properly was Blackburn Rovers, the winning side."

Andre Villas Boas on Chelsea's young talent Mata followed by Sturridge:

"It's potentiated by all of his (Mata) colleagues of course, and when you find a player that comes from such a different league as the Spanish league to this one, because this one is frenetic and faster, and to see him express his talent, for the adaptation to be so quick, shows the talent he has and we are fortunate to have him playing for us."

" He has been doing well like the rest of the team. Progressively he will eventually find better form but he has been doing tremendously well, not only scoring but assisting. He is a player that is able to express himself freely in the game and exploit the full potential he has. If you ask him he would feel more comfortable in the striking position but I feel he has a lot of potential in the wide position."

KEY STAT

Chelsea have earned 22 points from 19 Premier League visits to Old Trafford - six points better than any other club.

Our last 10 Premier League games against Man Utd at Old Trafford 

2001/02 - Chelsea won 3-0
2002/03 - Man Utd won 2-1
2003/04 - Drew 1-1
2004/05 - Chelsea won 3-1
2005/06 - Man Utd won 1-0
2006/07 - Drew 1-1
2007/08 - Man Utd won 2-0
2008/09 - Man Utd won 3-0
2009/10 - Chelsea won 2-1
2010/11 - Man Utd won 2-1

Chelsea v Manchester United in all competitions

Games played 161
Chelsea wins 44
United wins 70
Draws 47

Head to head in the League at Manchester United

Games played 69
Chelsea wins 18
United wins 28
Draws 23

 

Well I have a lot to say about this game.... Manchester United with the start they have had are in the driving seat and favorites to win this one. They have now scored eighteen goals in total just in the first four games and are in prime form. Rooney seems to be on fire scoring eight of those eighteen goals.

Chelsea on the other hand have scored seven goals in their first four games and are looking to put together a decent streak of wins under their belt. All seven goals have been scored by different players.

As I said stats favor Alex Ferguson's side but even he knows it wont be a walk in the park or a high scoring game like the one they played against Arsenal. I read some articles here and there some from so called football pundits and according to them this is a must win game for Andre Villas Boas or Chelsea will be out of the title race.

After reading such articles I couldn't stop laughing... Yes this is one of the most important games of the season but with more 33 games to follow this game, you just cannot write some one off. 

Everyone knows what happened with Chelsea last season we started on the same note as the Manchester Clubs have done this year but that didn't guarantee the title for us. It goes same with the Manchester clubs, its the team which shows consistency in its performance will win the title.

Chelsea and Manchester United both have added crucial players to their squad. Ashley Young for me will be the key player as far as midfield is concerned, he has overshadowed Nani in the first four games. United have got a lot going ahead with Young, Nani, Anderson, Rooney and Hernandez but its the defense where they still are fragile.

Smalling and Jones are less experienced players and a lot has already been said about De Gae. If Chelsea want to win this game then they should exploit this players as much as possible. Go for long range shots, hackle the defense and put United under as much pressure as possible.

The team who scores the first goal will definitely control the game and would try and keep as much as possession as possible. The likes of Torres, Sturridge, Mata and Ramires who have pace can definitely exploit this weaknesses which United have at their back. Try and counter-attack as much as possible. 

I do see Manchester United scoring against us not because our defense isn't good but with the form they are in and not to forget the game is at Old Trafford they will surely attack the Chelsea post as much as possible.

Andre Villas Boas should go with the inform players and make sure that we dont sit too deep in our own halfs coz that will just play in favor of United. We need to be attacking and try and sneak in the first goal, it wont be easy but it aint difficult as well.

It will be a tough game for sure. Both teams have played each other many times before and it always has been a tight affair. Chelsea have the potential to come out of Old Trafford with all three points but a point wont be a bad result either.

So get ready for some pulsating action at Stamford Bridge. Come on CHELSEA!!! KTBFFH.

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Posted By Vishal Marathe to Chelsea FC News - Chelsea Football Club | The Chelsea FC at 9/17/2011 02:28:00 PM