Man Utd v Chelsea

It’s been billed as the title decider and it is undeniably the biggest game of the season so far. But that is not to say this is a ‘winner takes all’ scenario. A draw will do just fine for Alex Ferguson’s side, who only have games against Blackburn and Blackpool to negotiate after Sunday. A share of the spoils with Chelsea, followed by four points from those two fixtures, would ensure a record 19th league title. The home record of United, and Chelsea’s overall form in the last two months makes it nigh on impossible to predict a winner with confidence. The draw is 23/10 with Coral, and United are very likely to welcome it.

The Blues are faced with the task of becoming the first away side to win at Old Trafford since April 2010. The good news is that they were the team to claim the three points on that occasion. Alex Ferguson is right to point out that the circumstances were rather different 13 months ago however. Back then Man Utd had just toiled to a morale and energy-sapping Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich. This time round they have cruised past Schalke 6-1, with the manager able to employ a virtual reserve side in the midweek second leg.

Chelsea can boast the best form in the league having amassed an impressive 25 points from the last available 27. Before they beat United at Stamford Bridge in early March they were 15 points off the top, so to now hover within three is a mighty effort, and added pressure on the hosts. But the Red Devils have since avenged that last league defeat by overcoming Ancelotti’s side home and away in the Champions League.

The picture being built up is that both sides have as many reasons as each other why they might win. Both teams have remarkably few injury concerns for the end of a grueling season so no particular advantage can be factored in on that count. All and all, the finely balanced nature of the match points to the draw. Both sides rarely lose games of this magnitude as it is. The decisive factor may be that Alex Ferguson has more than two decades of Old Trafford experience to call upon to get the result he requires. He won’t want to jeopardise an historic title bid by over-committing for a win. The draw at 23/10 is therefore the bet to take.