Chelsea, United battle for England's top spot

Soccer Betting Lines

11/24/2006 - Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The biggest fixture of the year to date in the Premiership will take place on Sunday at Old Trafford, as Manchester United entertains Chelsea in a matchup of the top two teams in England.

The home side currently holds a three-point advantage over the two-time defending champions, with both teams coming off 1-0 defeats in the Champions League during the week.

Despite the setbacks both clubs have been in good form in league play, with United winning its last seven Premiership contests, and Chelsea taking home the maximum points in seven of its last eight games.

The Blues enter the game with a pair of big injury concerns, although both players are expected to be fit for the match. Striker Didier Drogba and midfielder Michael Ballack both left the club's Champions League match with Werder Bremen on Wednesday due to injuries, but manager Jose Mourinho is confident that both players will be in the starting 11.

United has no such injury woes as Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to roll out virtually the same lineup he put on the pitch on Tuesday against Celtic midweek.

The contest promises to be a high-flying affair featuring two of England's top goalscorers in Chelsea's Drogba and Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. The Ivory Coast international has been an absolute force for the Blues this season, leading the Premiership with eight goals and tallying five more in Champions League play. The enigmatic Rooney has found the back of the net seven times for United this season, and is playing his best soccer all season after a sluggish start.

Carlo Cudicini will be between the posts for Chelsea, which has recorded four clean sheets in its last five league matches, providing evidence that its usually stout defense is playing up to par.

The game provides United with a huge opportunity to put some distance between themselves and Chelsea, and would be a big step towards their first league title since the 2002-03 campaign.

In Saturday's Premiership action, Charlton tries to climb out of the basement with a home win against Everton, Aston Villa can close the gap on one of the top teams with a win over Middlesbrough, Reading got a much-needed win last week and looks to build on that success when it travels to Craven Cottage to meet up with Fulham. Also on Saturday, a reeling Liverpool side is in desperate need of three points and will look to claim them at Anfield against Manchester City, West Ham hosts Sheffield United in a fixture that is important in the relegation battle and Arsenal tries to keep pace with the leaders when they travel to the Reebok Stadium to tussle with Bolton.

In addition to Sunday's titanic clash at Old Trafford, a surprising Portsmouth club visits Newcastle and Tottenham hosts Wigan.

SATURDAY'S FIXTURES

Charlton Athletic - Everton

Aston Villa - Middlesbrough

Fulham - Reading

Liverpool - Manchester City

Watford - Blackburn Rovers

West Ham United - Sheffield United

Bolton Wanderers - Arsenal

SUNDAY'S FIXTURES

Newcastle United - Portsmouth

Manchester United - Chelsea

Tottenham Hotspur - Wigan Athletic

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