When United last faced Chelsea it was to welcome them to Old Trafford as newly crowned Premiership champions. Jose Mourinho's men inflicted a 3-1 defeat on the Reds that day back in May.

Ruud van Nistelrooy scored what was scant consolation for United in the game, and the season.

This time around, the Dutchman wants a different result, and is still hopeful Ferguson's side can do enough to prevent the Premiership trophy from remaining at Stamford Bridge...

Some people are saying that Chelsea will have won the title by Christmas; take you don't see it that way?
There's only ten games gone. We're frustrated because if we had beaten Tottenham then the gap would have been smaller, we could have reduced it to eight points with a game hand. Whilst we're disappointed to have missed that opportunity, it shows that things can change. We've got to make sure that we take advantage the next time such an opportunity comes again. And, of course, we have to make sure we do our job today.

Do you expect the game against Chelsea to be closer than the one in May?
They'd already won the league but they still came here with the determination to win the game. They were playing with confidence. The main motivation for that game was pride. This season the game matters in terms of points. I expect it to be very different, hopefully the result will be too.

United players lined up in Guard of Honour for Chelsea

Seeing United's players in the guard of honour for Chelsea was difficult for some fans to take. What was it like for you?
It was difficult. I wanted to be running out with Chelsea giving us a guard of honour. It was hard, but doing that is part of what makes this a great club; the players and the fans respect others teams and players. It was the same when Ronaldo scored a hat-trick at Old Trafford for Real Madrid. It was an important game because United could, and eventually did, go out of Europe, but everyone in the ground gave him a standing ovation. For me, that's what makes this club different, it's what makes United special.



Chelsea have good players in every position, but it takes more than that to win the title. What set them apart last season?
It was their consistency. To lose only once in 38 games is phenomenal. We showed consistency only in certain periods of the season, like the run we went on [41 points from 45] between November and February. But Chelsea have shown the standard you need to reach, and that it has to be over the whole season not just for part of it.

United have won only one in four at home this season…
The difference between Chelsea and us is our home form. We have the same record as them away from home; four wins and a draw. But they have won all of their home games whereas we have won only one of our games at Old Trafford. The crucial thing is that we have scored only one goal in each of our home matches against Aston Villa, Man City, Blackburn and Tottenham. We have to improve on that.

Why do you think that is?
When you are the team at home your fans expect you to attack against the opposition. When we are away teams are expected to playing attacking football. That creates space for us when we are going forward. That is why I think we have scored more goals away. The home side can't be defensive or too cautious. But teams come to Old Trafford with the opposite attitude. They want to get a result and try to frustrate us. We have to try and draw teams out, but to do that we have to be patient and put teams under pressure. It will be interesting to see how Chelsea play against us. Will they attack or will they sit back and be patient and play counter attack?

Arsenal: Arch Rivals

Do you think United's rivalry with Chelsea is as strong as the one with Arsenal?
I don't think it is yet. When you talk about rivalries, they are built up over a number of years. With Arsenal it is something that has happened over almost ten years. Maybe it will be more of a rivalry between us and Chelsea in years to come.

How important is victory in this game today?
It's very important, not just for the result but also for the belief it will give us. We enjoy these games. It was the same when Arsenal came to Old Trafford last season. They were looking for their 50th unbeaten game in the league and we won 2-0. We know we're capable of winning. It is important that we do not lose, but the attitude at this club is always to try and win and to play attacking football. That is how we will approach today's game.