United vs Chelsea Preview

A Very Brave Slip By Terry

I haven't eaten anything and eating is definitely not on my agenda today yet my tummy aches like hell and I really don't feel like doing anything. My apartment has also been subject to a lot of unpleasant sounds (sorry for the extra details). All of this suggests that maybe I'm down with a virus but this is not the case. In 6 hours time I will be watching my beloved reds take on a side which was almost non existent on the footballing map up until they found a sugar daddy willing to spend his way to the top. Chelsea have now become a force and there's nothing their Russian crook wants more than the Champions League. They came really close 3 years ago but Mr Braveheart, John Terry, slipped while taking his penalty and gave us the cup (and a new chant to sing at OT).  Chelsea will therefore be looking for revenge tonight and that may be one reason for my uncomfortable feelings about this game. 

Premier League - Champions League - Fa Cup. In That Order.

To be honest with you, I really didn't give two flying fucks about the Champions League this season. I really really want United to win the Premier League and I considered other competitions as a bonus. However, when we got drawn vs Chelsea, my feelings towards this year's Champion League changed abruptly and now I really don't want Chelsea to get a chance of winning the cup at our expense. I just don't want to see that John Terry smirking at Old Trafford next week and then having the English media blabbering about how brave the Chelsea captain was during the game.

We have played Chelsea twice this season. We ran them off the pitch during the Charity Shield game and they have beaten us during a recent Premier League game (albeit with a lot of help from the ref). The stats, if they're anything to go by, are all against United. Manchester United last won a game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April 2002. Since then the we've been unable to win any of our  10 visits, losing six. Carlo Ancelotti has won seven and lost only three of his 11 games against Sir Alex Ferguson in all competitions.

Both managers and both sets of players know each other very well and I predict a very tight game, even though both teams will go out to score (I can almost hear a "no shit, Sherlock" from you lot). Fergie will most probably field a 4-5-1 formation but knowing that we need to score and that their most important acquisition, Luiz, won't feature tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if Fergie fielded a 4-4-2 formation. Rooney is a dead cert but then Fergie will have to decide on whether to play Chicharito or Berbatov. Berbatov is probably one of the best players in world when holding the ball but Chicharito's pace would definitely trouble Terry and Ivanovic and that's why I would give him the nod to start if Fergie fields a 4-4-2 formation. At this point in the tournament United need an away goal because both teams are capable of winning either away or home. 

With Ferdinand Fit, I Still Don't Mind Smalling Starting Tonight

Ferdinand could feature tonight but I honestly don't mind Smalling starting at centre back. Drogba, Anelka and the lady boy didn't really trouble our Londoner last month. I'm not sure if Rafael is fit but if he is then he'll probably start at right back. Nani, Valencia and Carrick will probably feature in our midfield and then Fergie will have the headache of selecting another midfielder from the likes of Giggs, Scholes, Park, Anderson and Fletch(I'm not sure if he's fit though).

I'm not predicting any scorelines, I'm really not good at it, but a scoring draw would be just fine.

It will definitely be an entertaining game for the neutral but for me, well, it will probably be a ride through hell.

COME ON UNITED!