Follow minute-by-minute commentary of the Premier League game between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday Feb 5, 2012, kick-off 16:00 GMT.
15.26 Newcastle have beaten Villa. They're now level on points with Chelsea, although the team that play in Blue have a 10 goal advantage. Oh my.
15.15 Here are your* teams:
Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Bosingwa; Essien, Meireles, Malouda; Sturridge, Torres, Mata.
Subs: Turnbull, Ferreira, Bertrand, Hutchinson, Romeu, Piazon, Lukaku.
Subs: Turnbull, Ferreira, Bertrand, Hutchinson, Romeu, Piazon, Lukaku.
Man Utd: De Gea, Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Young, Rooney, Welbeck
Subs: Amos, Fabio, Hernandez, Pogba, Park, Berbatov, Scholes.
Subs: Amos, Fabio, Hernandez, Pogba, Park, Berbatov, Scholes.
*- The teams are not yours really. They are a Russian oligarch's and a family of Americans' that like windows.
15.11 Gary Cahill starts for Chelsea today. The font has been set alight.
15.03 On the subject of handshakes in general, though: is there anyone who would be sad to see the Premier League pre-match handshakes dispensed with? I miss the days of players running out of the tunnel and immediately kicking a ball hopefully towards goal. Wow, that handshake amnesty didn't last long, did it?
15.00 Can we please agree now that we're going to have a handshake amnesty for the next few hours? I am not interested in who Rio Ferdinand shakes hands with. I am not willing to discuss an upcoming court case. I do not care who is England captain. Thanks.
14.30 It's snowing! It snowed! Snow! In London! Have you heard?
It's days like today which make you understand why people that don't live in our nation's captial become so infuriated with us London supermen and our power to dominate the culture, the news, the Twitter.
This much-reported weather event has not affected Chelsea. At Stamford Bridge this morning André Villas-Boas was spotted with a shovel clearing critical paths for his side's supporters, and using a broom two yards in front of where Fernando Torres was walking, like he was a curling stone.
Of course, none of this actually happened.
The good news is that today's game against Manchester United goes ahead and Super Sunday has been saved!
Hooray for undersoil heating!
It's quite the big game, despite neither team looking that good for long periods this season.
Key questions:
Can United maintain their uninspiring march to another title?
Can Chelsea continue their uninspiring stumble towards a Champions League place?
Is Ferdando Torres going to make up for this?:
15.11 Gary Cahill starts for Chelsea today. The font has been set alight.
15.03 On the subject of handshakes in general, though: is there anyone who would be sad to see the Premier League pre-match handshakes dispensed with? I miss the days of players running out of the tunnel and immediately kicking a ball hopefully towards goal. Wow, that handshake amnesty didn't last long, did it?
15.00 Can we please agree now that we're going to have a handshake amnesty for the next few hours? I am not interested in who Rio Ferdinand shakes hands with. I am not willing to discuss an upcoming court case. I do not care who is England captain. Thanks.
14.30 It's snowing! It snowed! Snow! In London! Have you heard?
It's days like today which make you understand why people that don't live in our nation's captial become so infuriated with us London supermen and our power to dominate the culture, the news, the Twitter.
This much-reported weather event has not affected Chelsea. At Stamford Bridge this morning André Villas-Boas was spotted with a shovel clearing critical paths for his side's supporters, and using a broom two yards in front of where Fernando Torres was walking, like he was a curling stone.
Of course, none of this actually happened.
The good news is that today's game against Manchester United goes ahead and Super Sunday has been saved!
Hooray for undersoil heating!
It's quite the big game, despite neither team looking that good for long periods this season.
Key questions:
Can United maintain their uninspiring march to another title?
Can Chelsea continue their uninspiring stumble towards a Champions League place?
Is Ferdando Torres going to make up for this?:
Team news and more to follow, stay tuned.
(Or follow Newcastle v Villa on the other side with Twitter's Jonathan Liew)
Here's a preview:
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Chelsea v Manchester United
Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 16.00 GMT
TV: Live Sky Sports1, Highlights, BBC2 Match of the Day2.
Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 16.00 GMT
TV: Live Sky Sports1, Highlights, BBC2 Match of the Day2.
Chelsea (Probable, 4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa, Cahill, David Luiz, Bertrand; Malouda, Lampard, Leireles; Sturridge, Torres, Mata.
Out: Ramires, Terry (both knee), Mikel (hamstring).
Test: Lampard (calf).
Suspended: Cole.
Out: Ramires, Terry (both knee), Mikel (hamstring).
Test: Lampard (calf).
Suspended: Cole.
Manchester United (Probable, 4-4-2): De Gea; Smalling, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra,; Valencia, Carrick, Scholes, Young, Welbeck, Rooney.
Out: Jones, Lindegaard (both ankle), De Laet (calf), Fletcher (bowel condition), Vidic (knee), Owen (thigh).
Out: Jones, Lindegaard (both ankle), De Laet (calf), Fletcher (bowel condition), Vidic (knee), Owen (thigh).
Referee: Howard Webb (Matches 17, R3 Y54).
Team News
John Terry will miss the clash with Manchester United with the knee problem that kept him out of Tuesday's match at Swansea.
Terry has been unable to train this week, meaning Gary Cahill may make his debut. Frank Lampard could return from the calf injury that has kept him out of the last two games, but Ashley Cole is suspended, while Ramires and John Obi Mikel are still out.
Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to welcome Ashley Young and Tom Cleverley back to his Manchester United squad.
Young has been missing for six weeks with a knee problem, while Cleverley has not featured since injuring an ankle at Everton in October.
Wayne Rooney (ankle) and Nani (foot) are also back after missing two games, while David De Gea is set to return in goal.
Danish goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard will be sidelined for at least a month with an ankle injury.
Match Notes
It is almost five years since he left English football, but the
spectre of Jose Mourinho still somehow hovers above this fixture.
It is widely believed that he would covert the chance to succeed Sir Alex
Ferguson at Manchester United but, with his tenure at Real Madrid seemingly coming to an end, Chelsea is being encouraged as an option.
The speculation that surrounds the ‘Special One’ will be most unwelcome for Andre Villas-Boas, whose team could drop 15 points United with defeat tomorrow.
Betting: Home 6-5, Away 15-8, Draw 21-10.
Stat of the game: United are bidding to win in the league at Old Trafford for the first time in 10 years.
Jeremy Wilson’s prediction: Chelsea 1 Manchester United 2.
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