Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says that new £21m signing Nemanja Matic will not start against Manchester United. Fellow midfielder Frank Lampard could return from a calf problem but Branislav Ivanovic remains sidelined with a knee injury. Manchester United manager David Moyes has ruled out strikers Wayne Rooney (groin) and Robin van Persie (thigh) for the trip to Stamford Bridge. Defender Fabio serves the last of his three-match ban. Play media Mourinhos rules of football punditry The two sides have experienced contrasting fortunes this season. With six league defeats United are seventh in the table, while Chelsea know victory will see them move to within two points of leaders Arsenal. Despite overseeing a troubled start to his reign as United boss, Moyes has insisted his side can still be title contenders. There are still plenty of games to go, he said. We have got a long way to go to catch up but we have got to believe theres a chance. Opposite number Mourinho is in his second spell at Chelsea - having left in 2007 after winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two League Cups. The Portuguese insisted his club are not desperate to win the title this season, despite looking to extend a four-game winning run in the league. We are making a transition between the Chelsea of the last decade and Chelsea of the next decade, Mourinho told BBC Football Focus. We want stability and not to lose our winning DNA, so we are doing both things at the same time, but we will try to fight for the title until the end. This is a period in time I can build a very, very good team, not just me but the club, board and the owner.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 16:00:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015