PREMIER LEAGUE: MANCHESTER UNITED v CHELSEA
Venue: Old Trafford Date: Sunday, 8 May Kick-off: 1610 BST Coverage: Watch live on Sky Sports 1 and highlights on Match of the Day 2; listen on BBC Radio 5 live and local radio; text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles
Ferguson, 69, has taken his side to a third Champions League final in four years
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says they will virtually seal a record 19th league title if they beat resurgent rivals Chelsea on Sunday.
Champions Chelsea were 15 points behind in March but can now leapfrog leaders United on goal difference with a win.
Yet Ferguson said: “If we win, I think we should win the league. Our home record is fantastic, probably the best in Europe, and it has to be on Sunday.”
After the match at Old Trafford, each club will have two games left.
United, who on Wednesday booked a Champions League final date with Barcelona, are unbeaten on their home ground since April 2010.
But it was Chelsea who imposed their last defeat, the 2-1 victory enabling Carlo Ancelotti’s team to leap Ferguson’s at the top with five games to go as they went on to clinch the Premier League title.
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We showed when we went to Old Trafford and won last year, which was the decisive game, that we could do it Chelsea captain John Terry |
And Ferguson believes Chelsea’s win over United at Stamford Bridge in early March this season, when they came from a goal behind to win 2-1, provided the catalyst for their unlikely title comeback.
“The result against us was the change for them,” he said.
“That gave them that lift from being out of the game to winning it. And, of course, us losing to Arsenal on Sunday is going to open the door for them.
“It’s a hard league to win, we know because we’ve been involved in championship races for almost 19 years.”
Despite that league win, United beat Chelsea 3-1 on aggregate to knock them out of this season’s Champions League quarter-final.
Having used a second-string XI to dispatch Schalke 04 in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday, Ferguson will recall players such as Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, club captain Nemanja Vidic, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand for Chelsea’s visit.
“Last Sunday’s defeat at Arsenal has certainly brought us an awareness of how important this week’s game is,” he commented.
“It is one of the reasons why I picked the team I did on Wednesday. I wanted to give us a real chance.
“We will have a fresh team on Sunday and that makes a difference at this time of the season.”
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Chelsea edged past Tottenham 2-1 at Stamford Bridge last Saturday to stay in the hunt, and skipper John Terry insists there is no reason why his team cannot repeat their success of last season.
“We showed when we went to Old Trafford and won last year, which was the decisive game, that we could do it,” he stated.
“There is no reason why we cannot do it again.
“Each season you know you are going to hit a bad spell, and it is about how quickly you can get out of it. We got out of it very quickly last year, and have taken a little longer this time – but once again we are right back in the frame.
“There is nothing I want more than to bring back that trophy.”
Pat Nevin’s tactical view on Manchester United versus Chelsea