Soccer:Dimitar Berbatov is convinced the two sides battling it out at Stamford Bridge tomorrow will also fill the top two positions in the Barclays Premier League this season.
Manchester United head south knowing victory will allow them to leapfrog present league leaders Chelsea and assume pole position heading into the international break.
Yet not everyone is certain it will stay that way.
Arsenal have started the campaign in excellent form and would draw level with United if they won their match in hand, while Manchester City seem to have spent their Abu Dhabi-backed fortune wisely and could well emerge as a threat.
Berbatov takes that knowledge on board, but he still feels the Red Devils will be taking on the biggest challenge to their bid for an unprecedented fourth successive league title.
“I always think Manchester United and Chelsea will be the top two and I don’t think this year will be any exception,” he said. “They will be our main rivals for the title.
“They have great players and a great coach. Everybody knows that. It is still early but I think the title will be between us two.”
Although United have not registered an away win over Chelsea since 2002, during Claudio Ranieri’s time at the west London outfit, Berbatov has enjoyed some personal success against the Blues.
His record of four goals in 10 encounters includes a penalty for Tottenham during the 2008 Carling Cup final as the White Hart Lane club went on to lift the trophy.
In an ideal world, Berbatov’s run would continue. But the Bulgarian admits he would take a single goal from a defender right now if it meant United could head back to the north-west clutching those precious three points.
“I scored plenty of times against them with Tottenham, now I want to continue with Manchester United,” he said.
“I would be glad to score a couple against them tomorrow but it is not about one player.
“If it was 1-0 and Nemanja Vidic or Patrice Evra got the goal it would be just as good because we would be taking the three points home and we would be above them again.”
The absence of Rio Ferdinand with a worrying injury, which started as a calf complaint but Alex Ferguson now feels is linked to a lower back problem that has plagued him for the best part of 12 months, means Vidic will be without his normal central defensive partner when he returns to the starting line-up.
John O’Shea will replace suspended skipper Gary Neville at right-back, while veteran wide-man Ryan Giggs can expect some involvement after missing the midweek thriller with CSKA Moscow.
Yet it is one of the few occasions in the domestic campaign when United will meet an equal number of star names in opposition ranks.
Berbatov must take on John Terry for instance, while for Vidic it will be Didier Drogba.
The midfield will be congested not just by players like Giggs, Michael Carrick and Anderson, but Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and, possibly, Joe Cole.
Edwin van der Sar will go head-to-head with Petr Cech for the goalkeeping honours.
“In this match it doesn’t really matter whether you play at home or away,” said Berbatov, addressing that woeful United record at the Bridge. “It is always 50-50.
“There are players who have the quality to decide a game like this in a second.
“But when I look at our dressing room, I see guys I know I can depend upon, just like they can depend on me.
“Everyone supports each other on the pitch, which is something we must have.
“We know it is going to be difficult. Chelsea have some really great players. But we have a really strong team too. They need to be wary of Manchester United because I believe we have what we need.”
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