With Andre Villas-Boas saying the Manchester United game “won’t mean anything” we take a look at how the two teams will line up for this all important tie.
It come as a shock when Andre Villas-Boas announced at a press conference that this fixture wasn’t important and would have no bearing on the rest of the season. When Chelsea have won the league previously, they have done so by converting the two games against Manchester United into points. It’s clear he is trying to relieve the pressure on his team, and if they do lose he can revert to his original statement that the game is not important to keep morale high in the dressing room.
Manchester United are without key centre back Nemanja Vidic for the tie and quick starters to the season Tom Cleverley, and Danny Welbeck won’t feature due to recent injuries they picked up. This all means that Rio Ferdinand is expected to return to the side with the hope he can discover that yard of pace he seems to be losing as the World-class defender ages.
Chelsea are without Didier Drogba as he is still having side effects from being knocked out cold during a game the other week and this will be a huge blow to them with their strikers not completely firing on all cylinders. But with the emergence of Daniel Sturridge proving his undoubted talent, it could provide a surprise edge to the game.
The game will be run at a high pace and ultimately we expect Manchester United to run out winners with the form they are currently in.
