Match Preview – Manchester United vs Chelsea
Today sees a titanic game in prospect at Old Trafford as the FA Cup Quarter Final draw pits Manchester United against Chelsea.
United have not won this competition since 2004 and will be keen to end that sequence. With the Premier League crown seemingly already sewn up and having been knocked out of the Champions League in midweek, Sir Alex Ferguson is set to name a full strength line up against the reigning European champions. Phil Jones (Ankle), Paul Scholes (Knee) and long term absentee Darren Fletcher are the only players unavailable to Ferguson as he names a strong squad for this 6th round tie.
Having been left on the bench on Tuesday night, Wayne Rooney looks set the start the game and is bound to be fired up to show his manager why he may have made a mistake in not picking him against Madrid. There has been much speculation about the future of the England man but his manager insists his decision to leave Rooney out midweek was purely tactical and will expect a performance from the front man this afternoon.
Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez is in for a rough ride on Sunday, however the match pans out. The already mounting pressure on Benitez from the Stamford Bridge terraces was heightened recently following his criticism of them in his post match rant after their win in the previous round against Middlesbrough. Couple this with his old Liverpool connections, it is likely that Benitez will have very few friends inside Old Trafford this afternoon.
Chelsea have had less time to recover from midweek European exertions than United, having been beaten 1-0 in Romania at the hands of Steaua Bucharest. However, manager Benitez did leave out a few first choice names including Player of the Year contender Juan Mata for game, possibly with one eye on todays clash.
Chelsea are only without Oriol Romeu, who will miss the rest of the season through a knee injury, and Yossi Benayoun, how picked up an ankle knock in Bucharest. As a result Benitez is also able to name a near full strength squad.
As we come to the business end of the season where teams are looking to prioritise the competitions in which they compete, viewers and spectators are surely in for a treat with this match.
Aaron SharpFollow @ajs26061988
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