Chelsea vs Manchester United Preview & Live Score: EPL 2009-10

Chelsea hosts Manchester United in a much-awaited Premier League fixture on Sunday (8 November 2009) at Stamford Bridge. No doubt, Stamford Bridge has gradually become a formidable fortress for the visiting sides in the recent years. Despite Chelsea’s excellent home form of recent, Manchester United will be looking to move to the no. 1 position in the league table by picking up 3 points on Sunday. After a 2-0 away loss to Liverpool last month, and last week’s struggling draw with CSKA Moscow at home in a Champions League fixture, Manchester United may not seem overly confident now. However, the challenge of reviving their dominating form at Stamford Bridge could be an added motivation for the Ferguson boys who would not leave any stone unturned in picking up full 3 points from the game. Ancelotti boys are also confident to build on their impressive form at home. So, the match seems to offer some exciting football action for the football fans.

If you want to get the live score of the Chelsea vs Manchester United match then click here.

Match: Chelsea vs Manchester United; English Premier League 2009-10

Date: 8 November 2009

Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England

Kick off: 16:00 GMT

Live on TV and Radio: Sky Sports 1

Chelsea leads the points table with 27 points 11 games with 9 wins and 2 defeats. However, a defeat to United would see them move down to the second place, and thus, trialing the Red Devils by a point in the table. No doubt, it would come as a big blow for the Blues who have been in excellent form so far this season. The same match could be a huge confidence booster for Chelsea in their pursuit of retaining premier league title this season. A victory over the visitors would see Chelsea creating a five-point advantage at the top. If Chelsea’s recent form, specially the home form, has anything to go by, Manchester United could be facing even a tougher challenge than they did at Liverpool.

Manchester United, on the other hand, did not have a very good start to the season, and many started seeing the negative impact of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Summer departure on their on-field performance. However, the Red Devils have successfully managed to get their title hope back on track, delivering some mesmerizing performance in the process. However, their worry started once again when Ferguson boys were outclassed by a struggling Liverpool side who did not have the service of their inspirational captain Steven Gerrard available for the home fixture. Then came their 3-3 Champions League draw against CSKA Moscow where Manchester United had to come back from 3-1 down. United was really lucky to pick up a point in the game, scoring 2 goals in the last 6 minutes of the game.

Well, this could also prove United’s never-give-up mentality which saved then many time in the past too. A victory over Chelsea would move them to the top of the table, and it could work as a stimulus for the defending champions in bringing out their best against the home side. Record seems to be in favor of Chelsea who has not lost any game to Manchester United since their 3-0 humiliating defeat in 2002. That means Ferguson boys did not win Stamford Bridge for the last seven years, and it would definitely give some extra confidence to John Terry and his men. Moreover, record also picks up Chelsea as the toughest opponent for Manchester United in the history of premier league as the Red Devils have average 1.29 points against Chelsea which is the lowest against any other Premier league opponents. It shows that Chelsea always makes problems for Manchester United.

Chelsea has been in excellent scoring form too. In fact, the Blues netted 19 goals in their last 5 matches in all competitions. Under their new boss Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea won all of their 8 homes matches. In five home matches in premier league so far, Chelsea scored 15 goals and conceded just 1 goal.

So, there are enough reasons for Chelsea to be confident ahead of the game against United. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that United game would be very difficult, but the Italian is pretty much confident of doing well on the back of his side’s excellent form of recent.

AFP reported:

"We are happy to play this game at this moment. I think we are doing very well, we are in good condition and we have a very good mental attitude at this moment," Ancelotti said.

"It's a very important game. We will play against the second team in the Premiership, but I think that it's just a game that carries three points like the other games.

"It's important because we play against a fantastic team, but we know very well that it will be a very difficult match but also a very interesting match. Psychologically, it will not mean more."

Chelsea fans are expecting another special performance from their Ivorian striker Didier Drogba who has been in excellent form recently, scoring 12 goals in his last 13 games. No doubt, the Ivory Coast international has been playing at his best at this moment. However, Ancelotti has stressed that his side must play like a team and can not rely only the Drogba.

Well, Chelsea has some other in-form players at this moment. Deco has been in revelation so far this season after a dull last season, while his Portugal teammate Ricardo Carvalho has been doing his job very well too. Along with Terry, Carvalho has formed a very strong central defense, while Ashley Cole and Ivanovic are playing their parts with sheer success. However, one would be more impressed by the midfield set up comprising of versatile Essien and three excellent playmakers in Lampard, Deco and Ballack. Anelka could not yet replicate his last season’s performance, but the Frenchman has made an effective pair along with Drogba up front. Blues do not have any big injury concern too, except Bosingwa who is currently out of action with a knee injury. Moreover, Yuri Zhirkov and John Obi Mikel are doubtful for the game.

Manchester United may not have been in very good form recently, but if you have a look at their squad, you eyes can not escape the ‘wow’ factor. Yes, Ferguson has an excellent squad incorporating both experienced as well as young talented players. The most important thing is that Ferguson has a number of options for each position on the field thanks to United’s large squad.

However, it has been reported that United has some injury concerns which are very serious and could have a negative impact on their performance. The first and foremost is the absence of experienced centre back Rio Ferdinand who would miss United’s trip to West London with a calf injury.

Reuters reported:

England defender Rio Ferdinand will miss Manchester United's visit to league leaders Chelsea on Sunday due to a persistent calf injury. Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic has been passed fit along with midfielder Darren Fletcher.

Manchester United would also miss a hard-working midfielder in Park who is now suffering from a knee injury, while Hargreaves has been a long term absentee and has not yet fully recovered from the knee injury. Captain Garry Neville will not be part of Manchester United squad due to suspension. No doubt, the absence of Neville and Ferdinand in the defense as well as Park in the midfield is really very big blow, even though the Red Devils have some quality options too. Moreover, Berbatov, Vidic and Welback are also little uncertain for the game, and decision over their availability will be taken perhaps at the final hour before Manchester United set out for West London.

Manchester United will be looking for a special performance from Wayne Rooney. It is very possible that United may play one striker, in stead of two, and deploy Nani and Valencia in two wings. Giggs may be little injured, and if he can not play then Scholes could play the playmakers role in the midfield with Carrick and Fletcher playing behind him. In the defense, United could play Jonny Evans in place of Ferdinand, while Evra and O’Shea will be deployed on two full back positions. Vidic is not yet confirmed for the fixture, but most probably he will be available to feature.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving websites from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Live Score

Goalzz

Footie Scorez

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Chelsea has home advantage and you know what home advantage means to Chelsea. Blues are perhaps one of the best sides in Europe who can capitalize on the home advantage perfectly. However, they should also know the fact that Manchester United has been the defending champions of Premier league for the last three seasons, and they know it very well how to pull off maximum points in the crunch games like this. They have experienced players like Giggs, Scholes and Edwin van der Sar who are capable of exploiting on the weak sides of the opponent tams. So, the home side would make a big mistake, if they do not consider United as a champion team, and they should know that just a small flaw could cost them 3 points against the teams of Manchester United’ stature.