Ruud van Nistelrooy talked to Marca about his future on the team and the recent clash with espanyol.

What happened against Espanyol?

It was a strange match, especially during the first half.

Was the team tired?

I think we weren’t well positioned in the first half and some things didn’t work out. Espanyol were very comfortable everywhere on the pitch until they reached our box. Higuaín’s and Robben’s work down the wings, and Raúl’s performance in the second half helped us to improve.

The team failed to earn its seventh consecutive victory...

Well, six games and one draw isn’t a bad figure either. It’s a shame because the coach told us we had to win the seven games we had after the defeat in Riazor. The important thing is that we didn’t lose against Espanyol thanks to Raúl’s two goals; his quality allowed us to draw.

Speaking of Raúl, are either of you bothered by comments about when you may hang up your boots?

I’m not. I don’t care because I am how I am and I understand those comments because of my age. I can’t change that. But a new question arises: How much longer will I be able to play at a high level? I still have two more years left on my contract and I am excited about seeing them through. I won’t say I will be able to play five more years at this level after that because I know it won’t be possible. I know the Club is thinking about the future, but I don’t know when the moment to leave will come. You know me and you know just how I train. Whenever my time comes I will thank everyone for their support and that’s it. You have to accept it. That’s life; some youngster with a bright future and great quality will come along and I will hand my shirt over to him and wish him luck. I will tell him that it’s his turn now and that I’ve been at it for 15 years.

Will you leave after your contract is over?

We’ll see what happens after these two years are over.

Do you feel strong enough to continue playing at a high level this year?

Of course. I feel better than ever. Not playing for the Netherlands has done me a lot of good. I’m preparing well for our forthcoming games with Atletico, Juventus and Zenit.

You could teach the young players on the team...

True, that’s part of the job of a benched player, but I’m not in that situation yet, am I? (Laughs). I’m important now and I think about playing in the Champions League and on being a starter. I’m not going to give up my shirt easily.

Do you and Raúl tease each other about the fact that he is catching up to you as the Champions League’s top-scorer?

We don’t so much any more. It was more frequent when our stats were published all the time. Those figures show I’ve been playing at a high level for a very long time. I’ve been scoring goals in the Champions League for ten years.

Would you have liked to join Real Madrid earlier?

Yes, but I never thought of leaving Manchester United. Looking back, I realise I’ve never been better than at Real Madrid. I had a complicated run both at Manchester and on the Netherlands when I was 30 years old. Real Madrid gave me a chance, especially Pedja Mijatovic and the President. Signing for this Club was one of the best moments in my life. I am very happy here and I hope to remain on the team for several more years.

Casillas:

It was a complicated match and we suffered a lot en route to victory. Amongst all of us we were able to protect the goal. They have a very good team, especially in attack. We didn't capitalize on a couple chances by Robben and Higuaín, but we did manage to win three points on a difficult pitch to play on, and that's all that matters.

It was an entertaining match and I am sure the fans enjoyed it. We now have six points, but we still have to play Juve twice, and we will presumably be competing for the top spot in the group. It's a complicated group and we must win every match. We have two victories after tonight and we are very motivated heading into our match against Juventus.

It had been a while since we last won a Champions League match away from home, which is another reason why this victory is so meaningful. We must worry only about ourselves and take one step at a time. This is a great competition and we have a lot of difficult matches on the way to accomplishing our goal, which is to be in Rome. Things are looking good, but we just started. It still isn't time to make any judgements.

Pepe:

The team did well and I this is an important victory. Zenit made us work very hard and we suffered, but we managed to win. It was a tough match and we fought hard.

There is still a long way to go and it isn't appropriate to talk about the table. We have to focus on our goal and take it step by step. We're in good shape. We made it clear that we have a good team and we're going to continue to do so until the very end.

Ramos:

We played well and knew we had to do so in a humble and modest manner. We showed we can win in any situation. You saw how difficult it is to play in this stadium and few teams will win here. We sometimes let our guard down when we have the lead, but the coach insisted that we don't during the break and we accomplished our goal. We're taking three points home with us. It was a well-deserved victory. It's now time to think about the league, which although a very different kind of competition, it is still one we want to win.

Van Nistelrooy:

I am happy to have scored again, but what pleases me more is starting the match off with a goal, which was the key to this win. Zenit is a fast, organized team that pressures a lot. They are good and they will make it very hard for teams to win here. It's important to play well in this group. We now have to important matches against Juve, and all we are thinking about is winning.

Heinze:

I have never received anything on a silver platter in my life, much less in football. I have always had to suffer, and today we proved that you have to fight hard to accomplish your goals. This victory wasn't a miracle, we just stepped up to the plate. We had a chance or two in the second half, but more importantly, we defended well.

Higuaín replaced Raúl in the starting eleven and Real Madrid walked out of the tunnel and onto the pitch at Petrovsky Stadium. Just as Bernd Schuster had anticipated, the match began at a furious pace and the 20,000 on hand were in store for what promised to be a thriller. Relying on home-field advantage, Zenit quickly tried to throw a beat-down on Real Madrid.

Although the hosts fired the first shot, the Whites would be the first to celebrate when a corner kick by Van der Vaart was driven into the back of the net by Hubocan (3’). With the score in their favor, Real Madrid settled into position on the perfectly groomed pitch and continued producing chances. Three minutes after the own goal, De la Red found Van Nistelrooy open in the box, but the Dutchman slipped and was unable to get the shot off.

Zenit didn't take long to respond knowing they needed their first three points in the competition, but their timid reactions were thwarted by a well-positioned and secure Madrid defense.

A cross from the right wing by Sirl ended with the ball rolling wide just in front of the Madridista keeper (18’). On the ensuing play, a centre by Arshavin was headered in by Danny, who had beaten Heinze to the ball (24’), but Real Madrid didn't fret and continued searching for the go-ahead goal. Van der Vaart attempted to surprise Malafeev, but the ball stopped at Van Nistelrooy's feet and the striker didn't hesitate to fire home what proved to be the winner.

Zenit upped the pace in the second half and searched every which way for the equaliser, but Real Madrid managed to cut off every drive. The best chance in the early minutes came off the boots of Robben, however, after the midfielder stole a ball in the midfield and grazed Malafeev's post with a strike from 30 metres out (55’).

Zenit took control of the ball and corraled Madrid in their box. Cannavaro cleared one shot, followed by Pepe two times. Iker Casillas was tremendous under the woodwork and saved an Arshavin shot heading straight into the net. But Real Madrid didn't just defend, and Rubén de la Red came close to adding his name to the scoresheet with a shot from the left side of the box that sailed just wide of goal (67’).

The intensity only increased in the wanning minutes. Zenit pushed even harder anxious to level the match. A strike by Arshavin deflected off Casillas' left post with 12 minutes to play. (78’). Real Madrid weren't going to let such an important victory slip away, and their first half effectiveness on offense combined with their second half precision on defense resulted in the team's sixth straight win.

TEAMS:

Zenit St Petersburg: Vyacheslav Malafeev, Pavel Pogrebnyak (Fatih Tekke 73'), Andrei Arshavin, Radek Šírl, Tomáš Hubočan (Alejandro Dominguez 73'), Konstantin Zyryanov, Danny, Aleksandr Anyukov, Igor Denisov, Sébastien Puygrenier, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk;

Real Madrid: Iker Casillas, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Fabio Cannavaro, Mahamadou Diarra, Arjen Robben (Royston Drenthe 82'), Gabriel Heinze, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rubén de la Red, Gonzalo Higuaín (Javier Saviola 88'), Rafael van der Vaart (Javi García 62');

GOALS:

0-1, 4' - Tomas Hubocan (OG)

1-1, 25' - Danny

1-2, 31' - Ruud van Nistelrooy

Referee: Massimo Busacca (SUI)

Assistant referee: Matthias Arnet (SUI), Manuel Navarro (SUI)

Fourth official: René Rogalla (SUI)

UEFA Delegate: Mark Blackbourne (ENG)

UEFA Referee observer: Aron Schmidhuber (GER)

Booked:

26' Andrei Arshavin (Zenit)

33' Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Zenit)

47' Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid)

Venue: Petrovsky - St Petersburg

Attendance: 20,000.

Sergio Ramos:

I am very pleased with the victory and because I get whistled at less every time I come here. We suffered a little in the second half, but regained control when they were down to ten men and managed to score the winner. We really felt Marcelo's sending off, but we never gave up and fought until the final whistle.

Our forwards are very capable of scoring and Ruud has brought us many points. Victories boost this team and it's important for Real Madrid to be consistent in every competiton. Raúl is an institution and an example for all of us to follow. No Champions League match is easy, but we want to win in Russia.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy:

I like out attitude. We played well in the first half and overcame adversity in the second. We pushed ourselves to the max when Betis were the stronger team.

It was a complicated match and scoring in the final minute feels great. We dominated the match prior to the penalty and we proved we can win under any circumstance. I am very happy with my scoring streak and I hope to keep it alive.

]]> http://realmadrid200708.wordpress.com/?p=863 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:19:13 +0000 Murali Krishnan http://realmadrid200708.de.wordpress.com/2008/09/28/real-betis-1-2-real-madrid/ Real Madrid played brilliantly in the first part and their hard efforts were paid off by Heinze's first goal, but Betis fought back in the second forcing the Whites -by then with only ten men on the pitch- to defend staunchly. Van Nistelrooy never gave up and scored his 60th strike in white in overtime.

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Sergio Ramos returned to a starting lineup tonight after missing the match against Sporting due to Schuster's rotation system, whose victim tonight was Fabio Cannavaro.

The clash had a strong start, with Real Madrid looking to dominate from the start and Betis relying more on their drive than their tactical precision. The Whites' efforts were soon rewarded when Heinze brilliantly headed in a great free-kick from Van der Vaart (18').

The Madridistas played brilliantly and Rubén de la Red showcased his incredible quality in midfield. The youth system player is making a name for himself by acting as a perfect master of ceremonies alongisde Rafael van der Vaart, who again proved his quality in attack. Neither of them was rewarded with a goal, although the local keeper was forced to make two spectacular saves to clear excellent shots from De la Red.

Heinze was simply spectacular in defence and Mahamadou Diarra once again gave a solid performance in midfield. Robben was very active in every offence and swapped positions with every attacking player to try out different ways to break Betis' defence.

Serio García was powerless against Ramos and Betis' most important chances in the first half came through Emana. His third shot close to the goal-line forced Iker Casillas to prodigiously stick out one of his hands to avoid a draw on the scoreboard (45').

People expected the second half to be hard fought and it was. Betis wanted a comeback and got their chance when Marcelo was sent off for a tackle inside the box and a penalty was awarded. Sergio García's shot was cleared by Casillas, but the striker redeemed himself by scoring when the ball fell at his feet in the clearance.

Miguel Torres and Javi García took the pitch to strengthen the team's defence and Drenthe to help create more chances in attack down the left wing. The Dutchman forced García to tackle him during one of his ventures in attack and the striker received a double booking, therefore leaving both teams with ten men on the pitch.

Betis attacked more and more while Real Madrid contained their onslaughts looking for a chance to counterattack. Finally, just when it seemed that the match would end in a draw, Ruud van Nistelrooy defeated the local keeper in a one-on-one and netted his 60th strike with the Whites, giving his team its fifth consecutive victory in the league this year.

TEAMS:

Real Betis: Espinosa Casto, Juan Juanito, Marcos Nelson, Luciano Monzon (Marko Babic 76'), Tamia (Mariano Pavone 66'), Marco Aurelio, Arturo Arzu, Achille Emana (Branko Ilic 85'), Jesus Capi, Romero Jose Mari, Sergio Garcia;

Real Madrid: Iker Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Kepler Pepe, Gabriel Heinze, Marcelo; Arjen Robben, Rafael van der Vaart (Royston Drenthe 82'), Mahammadou Diarra, Ruben de la Red (Javi Garcia 60'); Raul (Miguel Torres 60'), Ruud van Nistelrooy;

GOALS:

0-1, 19' - Gabriel Heinze

1-1, 55' - Sergio Garcia

1-2, 92' - Ruud van Nistelrooy

BOOKED:

Real Betis: Juanito, Pavone, Sergio Garcia (sent off)

Real Madrid: Casillas, Van der Vaart, Marcelo (sent off)

Venue: Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera

Attendance: 49,000

Ruud van Nistelrooy put the nail in the coffin on Sunday and spoke about thea team's effort in their hard-earned victory. Higuaín and De la Red combined for the first Real Madrid goal of the evening, and the two expressed their satisfaction with the victory following the final whistle.

Ruud van Nistelrooy:

Racing played well, but we did too. Today we saw the Madrid we all want to see. It was a difficult match and the victory should boost out confidence. We must stay on track. The team was very solid in defense and took advantage of the opportunities it was given. Our strength in the first third and the team's mentality proved crucial. Our chances improve when we play like we did.  It is true that we played two poor matches, but we are improving. We did our job tonight, but it's time to think about Wednesday. The fact that we played well is what I'll take from this match. This is Real Madrid. We saw it with nine men against Valencia, and then two poor matches. Today we saw the Madrid we want. We know that the score isn't all that counts. We aren't leaving completely satisfied. We know we must improve and where. It is still September.

De la Red:

I am pleased with the goal and the effort. Today we saw that anyone on this team can play. The goal came off a great play by Gonzalo Higuaín, who provided the perfect assist. Racing put on the pressure, but we came out strong on all lines. It's expected that we continue improving, so I am sure we will continue playing better as we have more matches under our belts. Every match is important when you wear the Real Madrid shirt and you have to win them all, which is why we don't care who our opponent is. Coming in in the second half is always harder than just playing 15 minutes when there is already a certain rhythm that you must adjust to. We have to play serious football in order to win each match.

Higuaín:

I am happy we won and important and difficult match. The three points are all that count and we managed to take them. The first goal was finished off nicely by De la Red and gave us the lead. Van Nistelrooy's calmed the match down and we managed to win an important game. We have important matches on the horizon, so we must continue doing what we are doing and winning. I am very happy because I have started all three matches this season, which means I must be doing a good job.

Real Madrid landed in Santander with doubts as to who would cover ground along the flanks. The solution was found in three forwards, Higuaín, Raúl, and Van Nistelrooy, and a midfield comprised of Diarra, Guti positioned along the right and De la Red along the left. In attack, Higuaín stuck to his typical right wing and Raúl to the left. The home side was without the services of Munitis, who was injured in training on Saturday.

Few chances on either end
The first half was an all-out struggle between both sides with little quality football to talk about. Real Madrid were unable to find any open lanes to Racing's box, while Colsa fired the first warning shot for the hosts after a Serrano corner kick (4’).

López Muñiz played with ten men behind the ball in solid midfield play by Racing, who prevented Madrid from creating opportunities. Higuaín's cross-shot was easily trapped by Toño (11’) as was De la Red's strike from the top of the box following Guti's free kick (19’).

Casillas hunted down a Racing shot 30 minutes in, then saved a well-struck ball by Pereira (36') and another by Serrano (40’). The only Madridista answer came off the boot of De la Red, but grazed Colsa's head and sailed over crossbar (32’). Moments prior to halftime, Guti abandoned the pitch on a stretcher after suffering a knock to his right calf and was replaced by Van der Vaart.

Door slammed shut in the second
The same 22 men who finished the first half appeared on El Sardinero turf for the opening whistle of the second period. Eight minutes into the half, a broken up play by the Madrid defense resulted in a counter led by Gonzalo Higuaín, who carried the ball to the Racing box and found Rubén De la Red wide open. The Spanish international squeezed the ball between Toño and the left post to give the Whites the lead (53’).

Luccin replaced Lucen in an attempt to add more firepower to Racing's midfield. The hosts managed to reach Casillas' box but were unable to beat the keeper. Valera and Tchité were also called on to find the equaliser, while Madrid slowed the tempo and Schuster subbed Robben in for Raúl (68’).

A minute later, Colsa swung in a cross for Tchité, whose header was unsuccessful in front of goal. The Madrisidistas' response proved much more effective as Van Nistelrooy feinted around César Navas and curled the ball around the defender and between the keeper and the right post to put Madrid up by two (73’).

Racing had two more attempts before the final whistle, the first which Van der Vaart cleared off the line after a powerful Tchité header (77’). The second appeared to be dead on but deflected off Colsa. With the match in the bag, Higuaín sat for Saviola (83’) and Madrid locked up their second victory of the season.

TEAMS:

Racing de Santander: Toño; Pinillos, César Navas, Marcano, Christian; Lacen (Luccin 58′), Valera (Tchité 69′), Colsa, Serrano (Jorge Gonçalves 79′); Jonathan Pereira, Juanjo;

Real Madrid: Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze; Diarra, De la Red, Guti (Van der Vaart 46′);Van Nistelrooy, Higuaín (Saviola 86′), Raúl (Robben 70′)

GOALS:

0-1, 55′ : De la Red

0-2 75′ : Van Nisteltooy

Highlights: Matchday 3 of La Liga played.

Venue: El Sardinero

Attendance: 20,558.

Ondanks de goede resultaten tot nu toe, denk ik dat verlenging van de Spaanse titel erg moeilijk zal worden en de club in de CL opnieuw slechts een bijrol zal spelen.

In de zomer heeft de club zich alleen maar gericht op het binnenhalen van Cristiano Ronaldo, maar die kwam niet (dreigt gewoonte te gaan worden, zie ook Fabregas, Kaka, Villa). De club had niet alleen geen plan B om Ronaldo te vervangen, maar de hele saga zorgde ervoor dat Robinho zo graag weg wilde dat hij genoegen nam met een vertrek naar Manchester City (maar had die dat zelf ook door?).

De enige versterkingen die in de zomer kwamen, zijn de teruggehaalde jeugdspelers Ruben de la Red en Javi Garcia én Rafael van der Vaart (enigszins in paniek aangetrokken na de blessure van Wesley Sneijder tijdens de voorbereiding). Alledrie middenvelders die centraal het best tot hun recht komen, een positie waar spelminuten vorig seizoen al duur verkocht werden (Gago, Guti, Diarra en Sneijder; overigens blijkt die overboeking nu goed van pas te komen met de blessures van Gago, Guti en Sneijder).

Geen slim aankoopbeleid, zeker als je kijkt naar de andere linies van de ploeg. De verdediging is in principe wel solide (vorig jaar minst gepasseerd in Spanje; de combinatie Ramos-Pepe-Cannavaro-Heinze heeft nog nooit verloren), maar blessuregevoelig zonder dat er op de bank bruikbare vervangers zitten (Metzelder is traag en onhandig). Bovendien is Cannavaro al aardig op leeftijd en kun je je afvragen hoe lang hij nog op hoog niveau kan blijven spelen. (Met het oog op de toekomst is de jonge Garay aangetrokken en uitgeleend aan Santander, maar dit seizoen heeft Madrid nog geen plezier van hem).

In de aanval is de situatie nog schrijnender. De ploeg beschikt over 4 spitsen. Ruud is een garantie voor goalen, maar of Raul de goede vorm van vorig jaar (18 goals, waaronder veel beslissende) weer kan halen, is zeer twijfelachtig. Het probleem is dat hij desondanks wél zeker lijkt van een basisplaats, waardoor de gretige en veelbelovende Higuain (te) weinig speeltijd krijgt. Saviola zal vooral de bank warm houden (en daar rijkelijk voor beloond worden). Alles bij elkaar betekent dit dat Van Nistelrooy niet geblesseerd (of in een vormcrisis) mag raken. Wat dat betreft is het goed voor Madrid dat hij bedankt heeft voor Oranje.

Naast de spitsen is Robben eigenlijk de enige andere aanvaller na het vertrek van Soldado, Baptista (AS Roma) en Robinho (Drenthe telt niet; het is nog steeds een slechte grap dat Royston bij Madrid speelt). Arjen is het seizoen goed begonnen, maar zat gisteren alweer uit voorzorg op de bank. Het belooft weinig goeds als je je gevaarlijkste speler uit voorzorg of door blessure maar in de helft van de wedstrijden kan gebruiken.

De selectie is dus zwakker dan vorig jaar, terwijl de concurrenten in Spanje sterker zijn geworden. Barcelona heeft zich versterkt met Dani Alves, Pique, Keita en ook met het vertrek van de "rotte eieren" Deco en Ronaldinho. Valencia lijkt over het tijdperk Koeman heen, Villareal bouwt voort op de 2e plek van vorig jaar en zelfs Atletico is nu kanshebber. En in Europa kan de selectie zich al helemaal niet meten met ploegen als ManU of Chelsea.

Daarom denk ik dat de kans groot is dat het seizoen zal eindigen in een teleurstelling. En in het ergste geval nadat in Januari een aantal dure miskopen gedaan zijn.

The two most successful English teams of the previous four seasons lock horns again early in the current campaign, and as usual there are intriguing sub-plots.

The last time they met, Chelsea were dramatically beaten in a penalty shoot-out in Moscow at the end of a thrilling Champions League final. The European crown looked to be heading for West London when Chelsea skipper John Terry stepped up to take his kick. Had he scored he would have lifted club football’s most glamorous trophy; but he slipped, his effort hit the outside of a post and Manchester United went on to claim their third European Cup.
 
Ironically, Terry is already at the centre of controversy ahead of Sunday’s latest showdown between these two heavyweights. The England captain was sent off for a cynical foul during the Blues’ impressive 3-1 victory over Manchester City last Saturday. That should have meant an automatic three-match ban for Terry - the fate suffered by United’s centre-back Nemanja Vidic who was dismissed for two bookable offences as the defending champions succumbed to Liverpool at Anfield earlier the same day. But Chelsea appealed against Terry’s dismissal and, remarkably, the red card was rescinded - to the undisguised disgust of Sir Alex Ferguson, who feels anti-United bias was at work.
 
So United go into the game against Chelsea already harbouring a grudge, and also nursing the disappointment of a relatively poor start to the season. For their part, Chelsea still feel aggrieved about losing in Moscow - and being pipped to last season’s Premier League title by two points by the Red Devils. This game is a revenge mission for them; but more importantly it is a golden opportunity to open up a nine-point gap over their rivals before the end of September in the current season, which will almost certainly be all that matters to Chelsea on the day.
 
Yet coincidentally it was this weekend last year that Chelsea travelled to Old Trafford and lost to United in Avram Grant’s first game in charge, Jose Mourinho having left the club a couple of days earlier. Chelsea were shell-shocked on that occasion; they won’t be on Sunday after making an excellent start to the season under new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.
 
They will also feel comfortable about hosting United at Stamford Bridge, which they have turned into the ultimate fortress in recent seasons. They won this corresponding fixture 2-1 in April, and have not been beaten at home by United since 20th April 2002, pre-Abramovich. Claudio Ranieri was Chelsea manager then, and Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were on target in a 3-0 United win. Things have changed since then, and Chelsea are undefeated at the Bridge in a record 84 Barclays Premier League games (won 61, drawn 23). They last lost at home in February 2004, to Arsenal. Chelsea are also (uniquely) unbeaten in the League throughout 2008, winning 16 and drawing six of the 22 Premier League games they‘ve played since the turn of the year. Their last top-flight defeat was also at the hands of Arsenal, on 16th December 2007, and the Blues have picked up eight more points than United during the current calendar year. Yet is was United who lifted both the major trophies last season, and that is what rankles at the Bridge.

So the fact that Scolari’s Chelsea can go nine points clear by beating United is a huge incentive - not that incentives are usually required when any of the Big Four clash. United on the other hand will see the opportunity - no, the imperative - to win the game and peg Chelsea’s lead back to a much less daunting three points. But to beat Chelsea, especially at the Bridge, United will have to raise their game many notches above the level they’ve attained so far this season, especially in their last two games.
 
In losing at Anfield last weekend for the first time in a long time, United were out-muscled and out-thought in the second-half. And they struggled to break down Villarreal at Old Trafford in midweek, the game ending in a goalless stalemate. Meanwhile Chelsea, seemingly liberated tactically by Scolari, were pricking Manchester City’s pretensions with a 3-1 win at Eastlands, then brushing aside Bordeaux 4-0 with imperious ease in midweek Champions League action.
 
No question, then, about who goes into Sunday’s game in the better form. United are notorious for slow starts and certainly won’t be panicking yet; but they know from recent seasons that they can’t lag too far behind the pace for long. And Stamford Bridge is not exactly the easiest place from which to launch a winning streak. But they will be buoyed by Cristiano Ronaldo’s encouraging cameo performance after coming off the bench against Villarreal. The Portuguese winger, who enjoyed a simply sensational campaign last season, is seen as United’s talisman, and his presence against Chelsea will lift spirits among the Red Devils.
 
Not that Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard sees any reason to tremble. He says Chelsea have nothing to fear whether Ronaldo plays or not, and adds that he would rather face a full-strength United than a weakened side. Morale is high after those seven goals in their last two games, and Lampard said of Ronaldo:

"I don't know what the situation is with him and I'm not too concerned really.

"He's probably the best player in the world, having done what he did last season, you can't take that away from him. If they put him back for our game then we'll have to deal with that.

"We're good enough to deal with Manchester United at their strongest, we shouldn't want them weakened. If they are strong they are strong and we still want to beat them."

Top after having dropped just two points in four matches so far, Chelsea will present a formidable defensive barrier to United’s attackers, who as yet have not been firing on all cylinders - though Ferguson expects them to get back in the groove soon. Only Arsenal have conceded fewer goals than the Blues’ two so far, while United, normally prolific in front of the net, have so far managed just three goals from their three Premier League matches.
 
Compounding Ferguson’s problems as he smoulders about Terry’s reprieve is the question of who should replace the banned Vidic in his own back-four. One option would be to move Wes Brown from right-back and replace him with the fit-again Gary Neville. But an alternative would be to give Jonny Evans a start at centre-half following his impressive showing against Villarreal.

"I need to work out whether I go with Evans' ability but lack of experience or whether I opt for Wes' experience and Gary at full-back," said Ferguson.

"Gary was only playing his second competitive match on Wednesday but he did very well. That will bring him on if I decide to play him on Sunday but Evans was excellent as well."

Ferguson added: "Jonny was the big plus. For a young man of 20, he shows great maturity in his game. He reads the game well, which is a fantastic asset to have at such a young age. He is commanding in the air and a good user of the ball and that gives me confidence that he could step right into the first team with no worries."

As for Neville, the right-back is philosophical about his chances after such a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The Villarreal game was his first competitive start since he broke his ankle against Bolton Wanderers in March 2007.

"I just need games," he said. "Having been out for so long I need a run in the side. But it is difficult to get that at the moment because Wes Brown has performed so well and deserves to play.

"It is just a case of remaining patient, keeping fit and training well every day. I have made steady progress and when you look at the programme of matches we have coming up I am sure there will be enough games for everyone."

Chelsea (last 5 games):

16/09	v	Bordeaux	UEFA Champions League	H		4	0
13/09	v	Manchester City	Barclays Premier League	A		1	3
31/08	v	Tottenham Hotspur	Barclays Premier League	H		1	1
24/08	v	Wigan Athletic	Barclays Premier League	A		0	1
17/08	v	Portsmouth	Barclays Premier League	H		4	0

Manchester United (last 5 games):

17/09	v	Villarreal	UEFA Champions League	N		0	0
13/09	v	Liverpool	Barclays Premier League	A		2	1
29/08	v	Zenit St. Petersburg	UEFA Super Cup	N		1	2
25/08	v	Portsmouth	Barclays Premier League	A		0	1
17/08	v	Newcastle United	Barclays Premier League	H		1	1

Chelsea

Frank Lampard will make his 400th Premier League appearance knowing that's he's three short of 100 career goals in league action.

The Blues' CL side was unchanged from the team which had put Manchester City to the sword so potently. Scolari, therefore, will be loathe to tinker. Continuity is possible after John Terry's Eastlands red card being successfully overturned.

Anelka, having bagged two in a week, is expected to start despite Didier Drogba slowly snaking his way towards full fitness. Michael Ballack is also pushing for a place, but may be held back from the starting line-up for another week. Michael Essien, of course, is a long-term crock.

Manchester United

Dimitar Berbatov has recovered in time from his recent knee injury to make the matchday squad, while Cristiano Ronaldo, having made a comeback midweek, is eligible for selection. Edwin van der Sar will continue in goal as the luckless Ben Foster faces another two months on the sidelines. Key centre-back Nemanja Vidic is suspended. 

Chelsea
 
Frank Lampard will be making his 400th Premier League appearance in total (for West Ham and Chelsea), and a measure of his impact since joining the Blues is that he needs three more goals to reach the milestone of 100 career League goals (West Ham, Swansea on loan, and Chelsea). Following his decision to reject the overtures of Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, Lampard has looked at ease with himself and his game, and given his ability to come from deep and find the net, United will need to watch him carefully.
 
Manchester United

With Dimitar Berbatov new to the team - and possibly not playing the full ninety due to his injury status - and Wayne Rooney too often being played out of position, the main United goal threat is coming from Argentine Carlos Tevez. His prodigious work-rate and tireless chasing after lost causes is a major plus for United. He makes things happen, and it could be Tevez who finds a way through the Chelsea defence on Sunday.

It is a testament to United’s consistency that they could suffer a second successive league defeat for the first time in as many as 122 games. But then Chelsea’s home form is itself a byword for consistency, so the danger facing United is real. While Scolari has made an impressive start to his Chelsea managerial career, with four wins and one draw from five matches in all competitions, United are on the brink of equalling their worst ever start to a Premier League season. That is what defeat on Sunday will represent. And it is an uncomfortable fact for United that they have been beaten more times by Chelsea in the Premier League than by any other club (10) and have dropped more points to them than to any other team (56). It is difficult to envisage a Chelsea defeat on their own ground, but perhaps United will treat this as their wake-up call for the season and emerge with a point.
 
Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United

Fernando Gago returned to the team in its 2008/09 Champions Legaue debut, but had to be replaced by Diarra on the 35-minute mark due to injury. The other new faces on the team tonight were Sergio Ramos, Heinze, Cannavaro and Raúl.

The team played an offensive game from the start, with two chances on goal in the opening three minutes. Later, Robben began a brilliant counterattack with a pass to Guti, but the second captain failed to win the one-on-one with Belarusian keeper Veremko (6').

Guti had a chance to redeem himself five minutes later when, after receiving the ball from a corner-kick by Van der Vaart, he crossed the ball to the right wing, where Sergio Ramos suddenly appeared and scored with a powerful shot with the inside of his right foot (11'). Bernd Schuster applauded his men's tactical play and asked them to continue to put pressure on BATE.

The Madridistas wanted more goals to please their fans, but they failed many chances due to Borisov's stubborn defence. The crowd cheered every attack and lamented every miss. The most beautiful of these came from Raúl with a great shot from outside the box that nearly wen through the top right corner of the goal (13').

On any other day the result would have been 5-0 for the Whites before half-time, but it wasn't tonight. Things looked the same in the last 45 minutes until Diarra gave a brilliant pass to Raúl accross the entire defence. The captain shot but the ball was saved by the keeper, hitting the defence and falling on the goal line for Van Nistelrooy to push in (57').

More missed chances took place. The team just couldn't score more goals tonight, not even when BATE were one man down. Of Real Madrid's 27 shots on goal, 10 were on target. Higuaín starred in the best play of the second half, but his finishing shot hit the right post (76').

Kryvets gave BATE their only chance in the first half (27'), while Zhavnerchik took a powerful shot in the second (75'). Casillas hardly did anything during the match. He was basically a mere spectator that, like the fans, wished to have seen more goals.

TEAMS:

Real Madrid: Iker Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Fabio Cannavaro, Gabriel Heinze, Marcelo; Fernando Gago (Diarra 35'), Guti (Higuaín 70'), Rafael van der Vaart, Arjen Robben (Drenthe 63'); Raúl González, Ruud van Nistelrooy;

BATE Borisov: Sergei Veremko, Dmitri Likhtarovich (Volodko 61'), Sergei Sosnovski, Vladislav Mirchev (Kazantsev 66'), Sergei Kryvets, Pavel Nekhaychik, Anri Khagush, Mikhail Sivakov, Igor Stasevich (Zhavnerchik 47'), Vladimir Rzhevski, Aleksandr Yurevich

GOALS:

1-0, 11' Ramos

2-0, 57' Van Nistelrooy

Referee: Alain Hamer (LUX)

Assistant referee: François Mangen (LUX), Christian Holtgen (LUX)

Fourth official: Luc Wilmes (LUX)

UEFA Delegate: Rolf Haugen (NOR)

UEFA Referee observer: Rolf Haugen (NOR)

Booked:

14', 62' - Anri Khagush (Sent off)

79' - Sergei Kryvets

Venue: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Highlights: A one-minute silence was held in memory of Heinz Fahnler, UEFA Delegate for the match, who died this afternoon.