Big Match Preview : Manchester United vs Chelsea, Old Trafford, 5.15 pm IST, 03 April 2010

It's here. The date has been lying marked in my calendar for about 2 months now. As EPL fans around the globe gear up for what promises to be a nail-biting finish to the season, the mother of all battles beckons. The early kick-off on Saturday is shaping up to be a potentially title-deciding encounter. Man Utd and Chelsea go head-to-head in a bid to grab 3 points and with it, a huge confidence and momentum boost going into the final few weeks of another enthralling campaign. Of course, Arsenal are still thereabouts, but you would question if Arsene Wenger's kindergarteners have the stomach to step up when it matters, the character of champions their other two great rivals undoubtedly possess. So this post is going to be solely about the red-and-blue battle. More on the North London tossers later ;)

This game reminds me of the one 2 seasons ago. In a similarly close season, table-toppers United traveled to Stamford Bridge to take on a Chelsea side that was a place below them. In a must win game for the Blues, Michael Ballack (surprise surprise) grabbed both the goals to blow the title race wide open. The battle then went on the final day of the season with both teams locked on the same number of points and separated just by goal difference. So at least, history is on Chelsea's side :)

United go into this one undoubtedly suffering from the physical and mental stress that their trip to Munich yesterday brought. Not only did they get beaten by a much better Bayern side, the talismanic Wayne Rooney was lost to injury as he limped out on crutches in the dying minutes of the game. There are doubts about his availability for the return leg in Manchester a week from now, but from what I've read off the internet so far, he is unlikely to feature in Saturday's match. Needless to say, a huge advantage to the Londoners. Rooney is having one of those seasons others would give a limb for. While it's never great to see footballers get injured, considering the kind of misfortune Chelsea have had with injuries all season (read Bosingwa, Ashley Cole, Essien, Deco, Joe Cole, Ivanovic, Carvalho), I for one, wouldn't be shedding one tear if Rooney's name isn't called out when the teams walk out of the tunnel come Saturday. Tough luck, Shrek!

I suppose what would be keeping Ferguson awake on the intervening nights between now and Saturday is the whether Dimitar Berbatov can step up on the big occasion. Well they bought him for 30 million pounds, so you would think he would, but as Berba's probably found out by now, he's maybe forgotten his scoring boots back at Tottenham. Rooney has prospered in leading the line with 5 in the middle of the park behind him, but we've yet to see that from the Bulgarian hitman. With Owen gone for the rest of the season too, I suppose Ferguson wouldn't have to bother much about his formation, simply because he has no other fit first-team striker. 4-5-1 then. The guy who has to worry about what shape his team will play is Ancelotti. Now I have a feeling that for Chelsea to win this one, Carlo MUST get his tactics right. Does he play with the same team that thrashed Villa last weekend or does he alter it to fit Drogba and Anelka in somehow.

There's no doubt Anelka doesn't like playing in the wide positions, like he's been asked to do all season whenever he's played with Drogba. Which is strange since even when he's played as the lone striker, he tends to run the channels! I would like Ancelotti to be a little brave and sit Anelka on the bench. Sticking Drogba upfront as the centre of an attacking trio in a 4-3-3 would be perfect as Drogba is lethal with his head and you can expect the likes of Malouda and Joe Cole plus the fullbacks to whip in the crosses from the flanks. Another possible change would be Ballack for Deco. Deco isn't going to start too many games between now and the end of the season and i would be hugely surprised if Carlo starts him against United at Old Trafford. I can understand Carlo's thought process if he picks Ballack for this one, and I think he will. It's a big game and Ballack gives you a bit of bite and tenacity in the midfield which will come in handy when the waters turn choppy. Deco's clearly past it, and this despite his sublime performance against Villa last week.

One thing Carlo shoudn't do is play the diamond. It simply doesn't work here. Lampard can't function at the tip of the diamond, he simply doesn't have enough space to make those late runs into the box that make him so dangerous. Malouda doesn't benefit from the lack of width and Drogba and Anelka can't really link up excellently together up front. I think a 4-3-3 is the best option with a midfield of Mikel, Lampard, Ballack; Malouda and Joe Cole on the wings and Drog as the striker. It is the formation that will give United the most problems.

We shoudn't forget that inspite of all it's importance, this isn't a must win game for United. They would be quite happy with a draw, as would be Arsenal. It's a must-win for Chelsea and they must play the game like it is one. The tempo that we played at last week is what we should be aiming for this time as well. Chelsea have to be positive from the word go, there cannot be any other way.

BATTLE TO WATCH OUT FOR

It has to be Valencia vs Zhirkov. Most of United's good play this season has come for their Ecuadorian right winger and his delievery will be crucial this time as well. how Zhirkov and Malouda cope with him will go a long way in deciding the outcome of this match. Zhirkov is great going forwards, but we are yet to see a great defender in him. Will he manage to curb his attacking instincts and tackle the threat Valencia poses? Time will tell.