Chelsea face test of title credentials

Chelsea face the ultimate test of their resurgence tonight when they face Manchester United at Old Trafford (8.0) in what could prove a defining game in the English Premiership title contest.

Fourth-placed Chelsea will be forced to defend their 15-game unbeaten league record without influential defender Frank Leboeuf, missing due to suspension.

But they have three large factors in their favour - an almost unbelievably good record at Old Trafford, their improved consistency and, ironically, their squad rotation system.

In some ways, superstitious manager Gianluca Vialli will be horrified to learn just how successful Chelsea have been on their trips to United since 1966, losing just two of their league games there in the intervening 32 years.

Chelsea's proud record reads: 10 victories and 11 draws in 23 encounters, including two wins and three draws in the five games since their last defeat - a 3-0 setback in April 1993.

That suggests Vialli's side have no reason to fear second-placed United, whom they play again in under two weeks' time in the return fixture at Stamford Bridge - especially given United's continuing defensive frailties.

Yet the loss of Leboeuf, who pays the price for five yellow cards, will be keenly felt because he has struck up a formidable partnership at the heart of the once fallible Chelsea defence with his fellow World Cup winner Marcel Desailly. Michael Duberry is likely to deputise for the Frenchman.

At least Desailly, like several of his team-mates, will be fully rested for tonight's game after being left out of Saturday's trip to Derby following exertions in gaining an injury-time win over leaders Aston Villa last week.

Chelsea's rotation policy was again widely criticised at the weekend when Vialli made six changes to his starting line-up, and it cost them in the short term because Derby secured a late equaliser.

However, it means that the likes of Desailly, Albert Ferrer, Roberto Di Matteo and Celestine Babayaro, as well as possibly Vialli himself, will have benefited from the extra recuperation time.

Those critics should note that United employ a largely similar policy, having dropped two points late on at Tottenham after leaving out Denis Irwin, Paul Scholes, Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole from their starting line-up.

Chelsea's improved consistency so far this season, losing only on the first day of the season at Coventry and in the English League Cup quarter-final at Wimbledon, certainly strengthens their credentials as serious title contenders.

But then they still harboured pretensions as championship hopefuls last season before the crushing setback of a 5-3 defeat by United in the FA Cup third round on January 4th at Stamford Bridge.

United were simply devastating as they cruised into a 5-0 lead before conceding three late goals, and the result was a hammer blow to Chelsea's morale before they finally recovered to win the League Cup and European CupWinners' Cup.

Tonight promises a fascinating contest between two teams with in-form strikers and question marks still remaining over their defences, as well a ferocious central midfield battle in prospect between Dennis Wise and Roy Keane.

Titles are admittedly never won in December, but if Chelsea can emerge from their two impending games against United with their growing reputation untarnished they will at last have earned the right to be taken seriously.

The National League's Management Committee has accepted an invitation from the FAI to field a team against a Republic of Ireland B side on February 9th at the Carlisle Grounds.

The match will be the first undertaken by the League this season and, in addition to rewarding the best local players for their efforts over the first half of the season, it will allow Ireland manager Mick McCarthy to look at some of the players on the periphery of the national team set-up.

Cork City manager Dave Barry and his assistant Liam Murphy have been invited to take charge of the League side and they will announce their squad for the game in January.

The League, meanwhile, will also name their new marketing manager in the New Year. A candidate has already been appointed but is not yet in a position to take up the job.