After United grinded out a 1-0 result against Arsenal at Old Trafford on 13 December, they knew that the revenge match was just around the corner. After surrendering their 3-year title reign to Chelsea by just a point, The Red Devils knew this result would be the one which matters.
Chelsea were hot on United's heels after surrendering their lead at the top of the table. The sheer magnitude of this clash buoyed both clubs, demanding them to toughen up. But weather played spoilsport whic resulted in the match being delayed to a later date.
But two months and numerous games later, it seems all Chelsea need these points for is to ward Tottenham off thier backs rather than chllenge for the summit of the table. What started as a campaign to stamp in the authority of the London club on the English Premier League has now boiled down to sheer persistence to stay in the top 4.
On the other hand, Manchester United seemed to have turned the corner and barring a slip-up against Wolves have emergerd to be the the team to beat. The critics have thier own say over the way United have been progressing throughout the season, but top gear or not, the Red side of Manchester has been efficent enough to grind out wins, losing none of their matches on their way!
Chelsea, with 7 defeats in the season already and only the Champions League to contest for, will have all thier energies focused on this clash, but they'll know that they are going against a team who are pastmasters in the business end of the season.
With Wayne Rooney starting to slip back into his usual self, Dimitar Berbatov leading the goal-scoring charts and Ryan Giggs turning back the clock on his age, this United side could not have been better prepared to face a demoralised and distraught Chelsea who are clutching on past glory to motivate themselves.
New Delhi: The feud between Branislav Ivanoivic and Petr Cech against Liverpool summarises the disharmony in the side and it would be a miracle if the Blues manage to get anything out of this match, let alone a win.
Had this match been on its scheduled date, this would have been a clash of the title contenders, but a difference of a couple of months has changed the picture on the canvas drastically.
What also adds up to this mouth-watering clash is the fact that Stamford Bridge has proved to be a luckless turf for Manchester United, with the Devils yet to taste victory in London since 2002.
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