Big Test For Mikel, As Man United Visits Stamford Bridge
MICHAEL Ballack has taunted championship rivals, Manchester United on the eve of tomorrow's top two showdown at Stamford Bridge by claiming the Premier League title is Chelsea's to lose.
Chelsea has made a sensational start to the season under new manager, Carlo Ancelotti and can open up a five-point lead over defending champions United with a victory.
Germany captain Ballack said: "It is in our hands and Sunday is a big day for us. It's a day when we can take a big step forward and make the gap bigger. Hopefully we can do this.
"In the past we have been playing catch up with Manchester United but this time we are the ones leading from the front.
"We have to maintain our strength over the whole season and if we do, then no one can beat us."
United defender Patrice Evra is backing Wayne Rooney to celebrate the birth of his first child with a goal.
Rooney came off the bench to inspire United to fight back from 3-1 down to claim a 3-3 draw at home to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday hours after his wife, Colleen gave birth to son Kai.
Left back Evra said: "I hope he can celebrate really well with a goal on Sunday.
"He sent me the pictures of Kai and it was very nice. He is very happy and it is good for him because you are more mature once you get a baby."
Evra is also on a revenge mission after being hit with a four-match ban following an altercation with Chelsea groundsmen during United's 2-1 defeat in April 2008.
He also had a bust-up with Ballack in this season's Community Shield clash at Wembley.
France international Evra said: "If you ask me the one game I want to win above all others each season, it is the game at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.
"When I play against Chelsea, something bad always happens. There was trouble after one game and this season, there was the incident with Ballack."
Chelsea are boosted by the return of Yury Zhirkov and John Mikel Obi after recovering from injuries but defender Jose Bosingwa is out.
United are again without stricken England defender Rio Ferdinand, while Gary Neville is banned but Nemanja Vidic should be fit.
The European Court of Arbitration for Sport yesterday suspended Chelsea's two-window transfer embargo, but the prospect of signing new players in January is not something manager Carlo Ancelotti is giving much thought to.
Instead, the Italian insists the Blues' focus is on tomorrow's big showdown with Manchester United.
"We have to focus our season on the game on Sunday," Ancelotti said at a pre-match press conference.
"We can buy," he said. "But now, we have other questions and it is not important what we can do in January.
"It's a very important game - we play against the second team in the Premier League. It counts for three points like the other games, but we play a fantastic team."
But Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is looking to remedy an underwhelming run of form at Chelsea that stretches back 10 games. In that time, the current Premier League title holders have recorded just a solitary win, and have returned to Old Trafford pointless on five occasions.
Prior to that, United enjoyed a superiority over the Blues, and Ferguson has issued a warning to Carlo Ancelotti and his West Londoners that the Red Devils will be doing all they can to ensure it is Chelsea who leave the Stamford Bridge turf without a point.
Pundits have discussed the possibility of an early "title-decider", but Ferguson insists this will not be the case, despite the importance of the match both in terms of the shape of the league ladder and the psychological factor.
"It doesn't come into my thinking that it is a league decider, but it could be an important game. Towards the end of the season, you might think, 'I'm glad we got a result at Chelsea'. But it's difficult to pinpoint the importance of Sunday in relation to where we'll be in May."
