Moscow memories loom large
It remains a point of considerable frustration and regret at Stamford Bridge that in 2008, Chelsea came within one kick of becoming the first London side to win the European Cup, only to see John Terry slip and send his penalty against the post in a dramatic shoot-out. The image of the Chelsea captain with his head between his legs, praying for the sodden Moscow turf to envelop him, is an enduring one. Those memories will be rawer than usual when Manchester United and Chelsea meet in the Champions League once again on Wednesday.
The events of Moscow, where Roman Abramovich failed to secure the trophy he covets more than any other in his home country, loom large over Wednesday’s quarter-final, first-leg tie. Indeed, Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech said on Monday that “the records will say that [United] won the game, but they didn’t really win it”. Though managers and players rarely admit as much in public, revenge is very much on the agenda for a Chelsea side who saw their title challenge ended at the weekend. While the Blues have one solitary aim, United have an unprecedented second Treble still in their sights, but has their focus been disrupted by external pressures? The media storm caused by Wayne Rooney’s decision to swear into a TV camera in the 4-2 win over West Ham at the weekend has shown no signs of abating with the striker now subject to an FA charge.Doubt surrounds the participation of Rio Ferdinand, who is an outside chance to feature having suffered from a calf injury of late. Owen Hargreaves, John O’Shea, Rafael, Darren Fletcher, Anders Lindegaard and Wes Brown could all be absent, but goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar could return after missing the West Ham win.The balance of power between England’s two most successful sides of recent years may be firmly swinging towards United at present, but at least Chelsea approach the game in good health. Though David Luiz is cup-tied, only Yossi Benayoun and Alex are likely to be absent due to injury, meaning Carlo Ancelotti will be hopeful of improving on a run of form that reads four wins in 11 games. If they can do so, then perhaps a fraction of that hurt from 2008 will be erased. Just a fraction though.Chelsea player to watch: Nicolas Anelka. Successfully predicting the composition of Chelsea’s strike-force may be a thankless task at present. Anelka, Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres have all spent time on the bench of late, but the Frenchman certainly deserves a start having scored seven goals in the Champions League this season – only Mario Gomez, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o have more. Anelka also has unfinished business against United in this competition as it was his failure to beat Van der Sar in the shoot-out that finally handed the Champions League trophy to United in 2008.Manchester United player to watch: Wayne Rooney. Who else could it be? The United striker has been a fixture on the back pages since he uttered an obscenity against West Ham, but the pertinent detail from the victory at Upton Park should actually be the fact that it witnessed a brilliant hat-trick from the forward, who all too often this season has been far below his best. Sir Alex Ferguson is likely to leave both Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov on the bench for the away leg and use Rooney as a lone striker, so the focus, as always, will be on the England man. Will he turn the air blue or enjoy a red letter day?Key battle: Jose Bosingwa v Nani. Chelsea sought to minimise the impact of Nani in their 2-1 victory in the league on March 1 by using the more defensively-minded Branislav Ivanovic at right back. However, with Luiz cup-tied the Serbia international will have to play alongside Terry in the centre of defence, meaning Bosingwa will instead be exposed to the pace and trickery of his Portugal team-mate. The Chelsea defender has a clearly-defined attacking streak and if he leaves space in behind, then Nani will exploit it to the full. Given he has scored nine goals and claimed 13 assists in the Premier League this season, the United star could be forgiven for feeling aggrieved at failing to make the shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year award. Nani is a huge threat.Trivia: Strangely enough, Manchester United have a superior record to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They have won 31 times in West London, compared to 23 for Chelsea. There have been 19 draws.Stats: Manchester United have not enjoyed an away win over Chelsea for nine years. On April 20, 2002, Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored in a 3-0 victory.Odds: Chelsea (2.10), the draw (3.20) and Manchester United (3.75) are on offer at bet365. Fernando Torres to score the first goal is 5.00.Prediction:
Credit: http://soccernet.espn.go.com
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