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Man United v Chelsea

United to Give Chelsea the Blues



Man Utd v Chelsea - 1945 BST kick-off

This game, quite honestly, has got the word 'dull' written all over it. In the fixture that is supposed to be the climax of the club football season, this could well be a fantastic advert for the coming Cricket season (if last season's F.A Cup final is anything to go by).

But, my dour and pessimistic views aside; this has the potential to be a game full of excitement, skill, passion and drama. Both teams have the quality to score goals at will, whilst they both have solid, reliable defences. Both teams have their different sources of motivation to win this match; Chelsea and Avram Grant won't take kindly to finishing the season empty handed for the first time since Claudio aka 'The Tinker man' Ranieri became the first victim of the ruthless Russian revolution. Mr Grant will be hoping he won't be next in the firing line. Manchester United on the other hand will be striving to achieve a league and European Cup double to re-emphasise their dominance, both domestically and on the continent, whilst there is also the slight desire for Sir Alex to gain revenge on his most recent nemesis 'the not-so special one'. As far as individuals go, Patrice Evra will be fuelled by the grief he received at the hand's of Stamford Bridge's pitchforks (well, nearly).

Inevitably, the build up has consisted of some of United's trademark mind games, with combative centre half Nemanja Vidic labelling Chelsea's swan lake impersonator Didier Drogba as a 'diver'. That's all very well but he obviously didn't observe the horrific repercussions that Rafa Benitez suffered in the previous round, having accused Drogba of similar forms of play acting. The problem with United and their mind games is they may be targeting them at the wrong person. Can anyone honestly see Avram Grant showing any form of emotion whatsoever, let alone claim that 'he'd love it' if Chelsea won?

If we are to avoid a repeat of last season's excruciatingly dull F.A Cup final between these teams then both will need to play at a high tempo from the start to build some momentum for the remainder of the game. United could possibly do a lot of the attacking, whilst Chelsea will most probably perform Jose Mourinho's hypocritical tactic of 'parking the bus in front of the goal' but moan at any other team that does so themselves. Chelsea will look to utilise Drogba's physical presence and menace in around the Manchester United penalty area (not to mention going down as if he's been shot), and will be boosted by the possible return of John Terry, who experienced an injury Monty Python would have been proud of. Five Live commentators last week were claiming he'd broken his cheekbone, then his arm, and then it was just a slight dislocation of the shoulder, now it's 'just a flesh wound'. However, United could hold all the aces, as they have so-many match winners throughout their side (Lawrenson and Hansen, I apologise for stealing your cliché). Rooney and Tevez will have both strength and skill in abundance so Chelsea could face a tough examination of their defensive capabilities. And, of course, there is Cristiano Ronaldo. Forty-one goals from midfield is a fantastic achievement, and he could be the key to United tasting further success in Europe on Wednesday. This is as long as he concentrates on providing goals and flair for the team rather than his annoying habit of mistaking the pitch for a swimming pool that he can belly-flop into.

2-1 Manchester United at 10/1 with sportingbet.com

Will Gannaway