Chelsea FC Vs. Manchester United, 2011 UEFA Champions League: Preview

Once a staple of the UEFA Champions League semifinals, the competition has been secretly re-organized and rigged to make sure that the all-English tie or ties happens in the quarterfinals. Okay, not really, but based on recent history it does seem a little early for a meeting between Chelsea FC and Manchester United. Both teams have failed to look like powerhouses over the last two seasons, both domestically and on the continent, but there’s no arguing that they’re two of the best teams in the world and that they should put together a great tie over two legs.

Chelsea are a relatively injury free team, while Manchester United are not a healthy team. A variety of players are questionable for the game and not yet confirmed as able to start or not able to start, so the United injury report has more questions than answers. Alex Ferguson is a master of adjusting his tactics to suit the players that he has available to him when he has injury problems, but the likely absence of Darren Fletcher limits Ferguson’s tactical options considerably.

Interestingly enough, Fletcher is not injured, but instead has been very ill with a virus. Rumors have swirled that Fletcher has had to deal with serious weight loss problems and a lack of energy as a result of the virus, but what matters most is that he did not train on Tuesday. If he didn’t train on Tuesday, he is almost certainly not available for selection.

There are also questions about Rafael and Rio Ferdinand, but both were able to train on Tuesday. With John O’Shea out, Rafael will likely start, while Ferdinand is still thought to be a game-time decision.

If you like changing formations and team selection mind games, then this is the tie for you. Both Chelsea and United use different variations on 4-4-2 and 4-3-3, with the personnel changing based on fit players, team goals, and opponent. United are definitely the more willing of the two teams to go defensive if it suits them, as Alex Ferguson has shown on multiple occasions that he’s not afraid to turn that 4-3-3 into a 4-5-1, play a rigid game, and try for a 0-0 draw. It wouldn’t be the least bit shocking to see him do just that at Stamford Bridge.

When trying to figure out what Ferguson’s intentions are from the start, look no further than who he plays on the left wing, if the team does indeed go with one man up top. If Wayne Rooney plays on the left hand side of either Dimitar Berbatov or Javier Hernandez, or if Nani starts to the left of Rooney. If Park Ji-Sung plays in that spot, Ferguson is likely thinking defense first. If Ryan Giggs makes a surprise start in that spot, don’t bother trying to guess what Ferguson is thinking.

Chelsea look to be making a return to the 4-3-3 after long time use of a narrow 4-4-2 diamond, with Nicolas Anelka being sacrificed for a three man front line of Florent Malouda, Fernando Torres, and Didier Drogba, though there are those who think Yuri Zhirkov will start in Malouda’s place. Fans seemed to have conflicting opinions about whether or not Torres’s benching over the weekend was about resting him for Champions League or benching him due to a lack of goals. I’m leaning towards the former, but we’ll find out tomorrow when Ancelotti puts out his team sheet.

The match kicks off at 7:45 pm GMT (2:45 pm ET) on Wednesday from Stamford Bridge, and we’ll know an hour before that who Ferguson and Ancelotti have selected. A clean sheet should probably be priority No. 1 for the Blues, and we’ll soon find out whether or not Ancelotti agrees.