All week, Sky Sports have been relentlessly promoting a clash taking place in Manchester this weekend that could well define the two contenders' professional future.
No question about it, David Haye versus John Ruiz at the MEN Arena promises to be an intriguing boxing bout. But come Saturday, there will be only one battle that is really worthy of the interest of the majority of sports fans. And it will take place at Old Trafford.
In the Red corner, weighed down by three consecutive league titles and the 2008 Champions League trophy, is Manchester United.
In the Blue corner, weighed down by insecurity and self-doubt having failed to win the league since 2006 and falling short in that 2008 Champions League final, is Chelsea.
On offer — as long as there is a knockout victor, at least — is a potentially decisive advantage in the ever-shortening race to the Premier League title. And if the preparation for such events is anything to go by, Carlo Ancelotti’s side could be poised to secure a dramatic victory in front of a hostile crowd at the 'Theatre of Dreams'.
Enjoying an uninterrupted week of recuperation and training after demolishing Aston Villa 7-1 at the weekend, the Blues have been able to sit back and cackle — although perhaps slightly reservedly, considering their own shortcomings against Inter Milan — as it slowly went wrong for their title rivals in Europe.
Arsenal, already off the pace in their table after their draw against Birmingham City at the weekend, drew with Barcelona but lost captain Cesc Fabregas for the foreseeable future in the process.
More importantly, United, amidst being given a taste of their own medicine by Bayern Munich, suffered the one crisis they were hoping to avoid above all else — an injury to Wayne Rooney.
The striker, with 34 goals to his name so far this season, has been diagnosed with minor ankle ligament damage and early estimates suggest he will miss between two and four weeks of action.
That means he will definitely be absent for Saturday’s early kick-off against the Blues, and could well sit out a sizeable portion of his side’s other five remaining league games.
Without him United seem to have a clear lack of a goalscoring threat to call upon. Dimitar Berbatov (12 league goals to his name this season, just one more than the number of own goals United have been able to call upon), will lead the line at the weekend, but he will do well to occupy both John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.
Not that United will admit they are concerned.
“In games Wayne has missed recently, we've scored some goals. Dimitar has come in and done ever so well,” defender Rio Ferdinand said after Tuesday’s defeat to Bayner Munich, echoing the views of a number of his team-mates.
“Rooney is a great player and has been very influential in our season so far but we know we have players who can come in and deliver.
“We don't like losing. You've got to take things on the chin and get on with it. On Saturday we'll see a better, brighter team.”
Chelsea, however, have their own worries over their leading scorer. Drogba might be four goals shy of Rooney’s current record, but he has been equally important to his side throughout the current campaign. Struggling with a number of slight ailments, he is rated as a doubt for the big game. Although, considering how well Ancelotti’s side coped without him last week (and throughout January when he was at the African Cup of Nations), perhaps the 32-year-old’s absence would actually be a blessing in disguise.
Whatever the case, perhaps it would be fitting if these two sides would face off without their most potent weapons. Then we can find out which squad comprises the better team — rather than simply which one is blessed with the most talented talisman.
In that respect, the game is too close to call. United's midfield is unarguably a more well-oiled machine at the minute than Chelsea's, while defensively both sides have been forced into unwanted rotation in recent weeks due to injuries. With their forward lines both weakened, individual battles might take on extra significance.
Florent Malouda, for example, will be salivating at the prospect of taking on Gary Neville down United’s right. The Frenchman will have seen the torturous time his international team-mate Franck Ribery gave the veteran defender at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, and considering his current form (four goals in the last two games) will be confident of putting on a similar display.
Even if Sir Alex opts for young Rafael instead, the inexperienced Brazilian will have a job dealing with someone who is playing as well as anyone in the Premier League right now.
But on the other hand, Antonio Valencia did not start in midweek and, especially after being tactically very effective in the last game between the two sides, might cause Chelsea's stand-in left-back Yury Zhirkov a number of problems with his strong running and ever-improving crossing ability.
How will midfielder Darren Fletcher cope with the late runs of Frank Lampard. Will John Obi Mikel be able to stop Paul Scholes or Ryan Giggs from playing in their team-mates around the edge of the Chelsea box? On such encounters the game might well be decided.
In front of 75,000-plus supportive fans, United will be buoyed by their record this season which has seen them drop only five points from a possible 48 on home soil (losing to Villa, drawing with Sunderland — although they did also lose to Leeds United in the FA Cup). But Chelsea will take confidence from the 1-0 win they secured when the two sides met at Stamford Bridge in November.
"The fans at Old Trafford are always great in the big games, so they’ll hopefully help us over the line," Darren Fletcher told FourFourTwo magazine recently.
"It does give you a slight advantage but this is top Chelsea side we’re talking about. They’re capable of coming to Old Trafford and winning.”
What is more, following their four previous away trips in Europe this season United have only subsequently managed to win once — following a victory in Turkey against Besiktas with a last-minute 4-3 victory against rivals Manchester City. Every other game they lost — with Villa (at home), Liverpool and Everton the grateful benefactors.
Whatever the case, perhaps it would be fitting if these two sides would face off without their most potent weapons. Then we can find out which squad comprises the better team — rather than simply which one is blessed with the most talented talisman.
In that respect, the game is too close to call. United's midfield is unarguably a more well-oiled machine at the minute than Chelsea's, while defensively both sides have been forced into unwanted rotation in recent weeks due to injuries. With their forward lines both weakened, individual battles might take on extra significance.
Florent Malouda, for example, will be salivating at the prospect of taking on Gary Neville down United’s right. The Frenchman will have seen the torturous time his international team-mate Franck Ribery gave the veteran defender at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, and considering his current form (four goals in the last two games) will be confident of putting on a similar display.
Even if Sir Alex opts for young Rafael instead, the inexperienced Brazilian will have a job dealing with someone who is playing as well as anyone in the Premier League right now.
But on the other hand, Antonio Valencia did not start in midweek and, especially after being tactically very effective in the last game between the two sides, might cause Chelsea's stand-in left-back Yury Zhirkov a number of problems with his strong running and ever-improving crossing ability.
How will midfielder Darren Fletcher cope with the late runs of Frank Lampard. Will John Obi Mikel be able to stop Paul Scholes or Ryan Giggs from playing in their team-mates around the edge of the Chelsea box? On such encounters the game might well be decided.
In front of 75,000-plus supportive fans, United will be buoyed by their record this season which has seen them drop only five points from a possible 48 on home soil (losing to Villa, drawing with Sunderland — although they did also lose to Leeds United in the FA Cup). But Chelsea will take confidence from the 1-0 win they secured when the two sides met at Stamford Bridge in November.
"The fans at Old Trafford are always great in the big games, so they’ll hopefully help us over the line," Darren Fletcher told FourFourTwo magazine recently.
"It does give you a slight advantage but this is top Chelsea side we’re talking about. They’re capable of coming to Old Trafford and winning.”
What is more, following their four previous away trips in Europe this season United have only subsequently managed to win once — following a victory in Turkey against Besiktas with a last-minute 4-3 victory against rivals Manchester City. Every other game they lost — with Villa (at home), Liverpool and Everton the grateful benefactors.
