SOCCER/Manchester Utd v Chelsea:Alex Ferguson struggled to conceal his disdain when he was asked yesterday about Peter Kenyon's prediction Chelsea would eventually overtake Manchester United as the biggest club in the world.

Ferguson has accused Kenyon before of treating United "with contempt" and he was clearly bemused by the latest remarks of a man who once claimed to be their most ardent supporter.

Questioning the timing of Kenyon's remarks, as if suspicious that the Chelsea chief executive was trying to undermine United before the biggest game of the domestic season so far, Ferguson's response was laced with sarcasm. "We're going to quake and tremble with that," he said. "It was a nice time for him to bring that out, wasn't it? But it certainly won't bother me. I know Peter, remember."

Kenyon, the United chief executive before Roman Abramovich's roubles persuaded him to defect to Stamford Bridge in 2003, had praised his former club's heritage but said Chelsea would be recognised as the bigger club in eight years' time. "I don't know whether we have 50 million fans or 500 million," Ferguson responded, "but the one thing I know is that we've got these supporters because we entertain, and we'll never change that."

The United manager tried to laugh off Kenyon's remarks but he turned serious when the subject turned to match referee Howard Webb, speaking of his hope that tomorrow's encounter will not be "like some of the games we have seen recently".

That was a thinly veiled reference to Chelsea's match with Barcelona at the Nou Camp and, in particular, their 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, when the referee Graham Poll reported Jose Mourinho's players to the Football Association for harassing him.

Webb is on Fifa's list of international officials but he is still a rookie compared to Poll. Ferguson describes him as the head of professional referees, Keith Hackett's, "big hope to replace Poll as the best in the country", but he is also aware there will be intense pressure on the 35-year-old Yorkshireman. "We don't want to see players crowding round him," he said. "We want to let him get on with the game and give him a chance."

Ferguson confirmed Louis Saha may forego penalty-taking duties after missing in the Champions League defeat at Celtic. However, he said he did not give any credence to Neil Lennon's claims that Gary Neville had predicted Saha would miss because his "head had gone". Lennon, according to Ferguson, was "high on adrenaline and got carried away".

Cristiano Ronaldo chipped in his tuppenceworth as well yesterday, suggesting the Premiership holders' success could vanish in an instant.

"I'd like to see what would happen if (Jose Mourinho) were to leave," said the winger, before sniffing that the fortunes expended on Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack have not put Chelsea out of reach.

The niggling was the customary prelude to tomorrow's meeting between the sides and the single surprise lay in Mourinho's refusal to come up with a hand-crafted piece of provocation. Wrangling is ritual for these rivals but each is entitled to allege limitations in the other.

United have decided not to hold a minute's silence to mark the first anniversary of George Best's death, but his family will be guests at the match.

Guardian Service