• Premier League

Time could prove a great healer for Chelsea

"Did any1 see the Ipswich game yesterday? Pitch covered in snow... so how was that game played and ours (premier league) is postponed?" Thus spake Rio Ferdinand to his massed "tweeps" of his disquiet that this match did not take place when originally scheduled.

It should have been played on a wintry December Sunday, the week before Christmas, yet a Saturday snowdrift caused the match to be postponed over 24 hours before it was due to be played, and some pictures of a not-particularly snowbound Fulham Broadway caused a number of conspiracy theories. Whatever happened in that instance, for Chelsea not to play Manchester United at that time was seen to be a good thing for the Londoners, in the light of the worrying slump that may or may not have had much to do with the departure of Ray Wilkins. Three months on, and it would be expected that Chelsea would once again be in rude health. And with the addition of £75 million-worth of talent, that expectation could only be enhanced.

Yet Chelsea still have a troubled air about them, and that lurch towards disaster has not been fully corrected. This has been a bad news season for the club, with the weekend's latest set of revelations asking further questions of just what is going on behind the scenes. For Ashley Cole to be larking about with an air rifle is ludicrous enough. For him to be doing it the day after his penalty miss had sent his team packing from the FA Cup hardly suggests a focused group intent on making amends for a poor season.

Last week's stroll at Copenhagen lifted morale, and sparked the umpteenth suggestion of recovery in the ranks, a state of affairs soon nixed by the story of Cole's stupidity. They face a Manchester United team who are lucky to be able to field Wayne Rooney, who has escaped the electrocution his manager predicted as well as a three-match ban for an injudicious elbow on Wigan Athletic's James McCarthy. So United's win at the weekend came with some cost, that of goodwill and further inquiries into what still looks a distracted state of mind. The DW Stadium provided a rare away win for Rooney's team, and it is a set of tough away fixtures that will decide if they can reach the perch-knocking grand total of 19 league titles. Chelsea come first, before Anfield at the weekend, while Arsenal on May 1 has the air of a possible title-decider. United will also have to play this match without the services of the aforementioned Ferdinand as his calf is still playing up.

When these teams were originally due to meet, this had the look of a table-topping clash, though now Chelsea are fighting for the retention of their Champions League status while pinning all their hopes on winning that trophy for the first time. United are top by virtue by being the most consistent of what has looked a distinctly vulnerable bunch of contenders, their know-how and experience acting as their prime asset. With a trip to Old Trafford set for May, Chelsea's say in the title race has already been confined to that of kingmakers and not contenders.

Manchester United player to watch - Chris Smalling:
Barely a fortnight ago, the 21-year-old South-East Londoner won himself rave reviews with a hugely assured performance in the Manchester derby that has had many hailing him as the heir apparent to Ferdinand. He is on a steep learning curve but has yet to let down his manager, whose signing of a player not even regarded as first-choice at Fulham has looked as shrewd as any 'value' signing he has made in recent years, with cap doffed to Javier Hernandez. Smalling now needs to prove he can consistently produce, as United enter a vital week of fixtures.

Fernando Torres has plenty of questions to answer as he attempts to justify his £50 million price tag for Chelsea © Getty Images

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Chelsea player to watch - David Luiz:
He does not just stand out for that mass of bouncing curls, for his was a thrilling first start for Chelsea at Fulham, give or take a rash challenge that almost handed the Cottagers victory. Luiz is an all-action, perpetual motion player whose drive from defence often adds a new dimension. His coaches will likely force him to quell his desire to play too much football when in a defensive position but he looks a worthy successor to Ricardo Carvalho and also showed that at full-back he can provide menace down the flanks. How he will be used in only his third game for his new club is likely a question at the forefront of Carlo Ancelotti's probably rather troubled mind.

Key battle- Fernando Torres v Nemanja Vidic:
If Nemanja Vidic were ever a disciple of Jack Charlton, he would likely have Fernando Torres at the very front of his black book. Torres has given the Serb the most disastrous days of an otherwise excellent Manchester United career, sent off twice when fielded against the £50 million man, amid a miserable disciplinary record against Liverpool. Now he faces Torres in a different shirt and will probably have to face his arch-nemesis twice more this season. The pair's 2010-11 season could not be more contrasting. Torres has struggled all year, while Vidic is favoured to be Player of the Year, having embraced his captaincy of United and led from the back. If history is to play a part and allow Torres to make his Chelsea bones and score his first goal in a blue shirt, he will need to revive his best Liverpool form and hope Vidic still fears him.

Trivia:
A man whose legend grows the more he is away from Chelsea, Ray 'Butch' Wilkins captained the Blues at just 18, but was sold to United in 1979 for £800,000 to pay off debts incurred by a botched rebuilding of Stamford Bridge. In those days, Ray had a flowing mane of hair while disabled people were allowed to park their cars at pitchside - Chelsea was a very different club then.

Stats:
Stamford Bridge has not been a happy hunting ground for Manchester United in recent years. They have failed to score in five of their last seven Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge and netted only once on each of the other two encounters while winning none and losing five of their last eight away encounters there.

Odds:
Chelsea look well favoured yet are available at a rather tasty odds-against price of 5/4 at bet365. The draw is 11/5 and a United win the outsider of the three at 12/5

Prediction:
If Chelsea do not 'man up', to use the parlance of John Terry, then United may sniff a vulnerability which has been especially prevalent in defensive areas. Their record here, however, suggests they would take a draw to further open up their race with Arsenal. That seems the likeliest of outcomes.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.