Ancelotti plays down United match
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that the Premier League fixture, between his side and Manchester United, cannot be deemed as ‘decisive’ for the league result. The two sides will go head-to-head on Sunday December 19th at Stamford
Bridge.
Ancelotti has stated, “A lot of teams are involved at the top of the table, maybe five teams. For this reason, there are a lot of important games in the season and it's too early now to say that it could be a decisive game."
The Italian will be under immense pressure, as his side has failed to register a win in their previous five league matches. Their last victory in the league came as a 1-0 win at home against Fulham, over a month ago on the 10th of November.
The Blues manager has expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress and stated that the 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane, against Tottenham, was a massive improvement. He, however, admitted that the match against inform United will present a stiffer challenge.
“They arrive at this game better than us, with more confidence, but I think that to play against Man United can be fantastic motivation for us.”
Earlier this week, Red Devils manager Alex Ferguson, criticized Chelsea for not buying new players over the summer after releasing the likes of Ricardo Carvalho, Deco, Joe Cole and Michael Ballack. United will go into the game fresh from a 1-0 win over rivals
Arsenal. However, it must be kept in mind that Ferguson’s men have failed to attain all 3 points from this fixture since the 3-0 win in April 2002.
On United’s record against their title rivals, Feguson said, “We used to have a terrific record at Chelsea. We haven't won there for eight years, but it's a big game for us and we'll be ready for it. We couldn't get there sooner.”
Manchester United will be without their star midfielder Paul Scholes, who is suffering from a groin injury. Chelsea on the other hand will welcome back their influential midfielder Frank Lampard in the starting lineup. Lampard, who came on as a substitute
for the Blues last week against Spurs, has been confirmed in the starting eleven by Ancelotti.
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