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Manchester United will be looking to secure the Premier League title this weekend when they take on Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men require only one more point to claim the title after securing a crucial victory over 2nd placed Chelsea last time out.
The celebrations after this game indicated that United believe that 1st place is all but theirs and with just a single point needed in the final two league games, who can blame them.
They will be keen to get the job done this weekend though so they can focus on the Champions League final against Barcelona scheduled for later this month.
The final game of the season, at home to Blackpool, will be set aside of a day of celebration if the Red Devils can get the point they require this weekend too. Ferguson would also have the luxury of being able to rest a couple of players should he choose too.
Picking up a positive result at Ewood Park isn’t a foregone conclusion though. Blackburn are also a point away from the significant milestone of ensuring Premier League survival, so they will be fighting for their lives.
Steve Kean’s men will not want to go to the final game of the season at Wolves needing anything, so a draw at home to Manchester United would be more than welcome.
The pressure would then be off after an extremely indifferent run of form. Rovers are still involved in a relegation battle because of a run of just one win in their last 13 games.
They have picked up four points in their last two matches though, including a crucial draw at fellow relegation rivals West Ham last time out.
With both teams requiring a point to achieve their end of season goal, cynics might say that this could be a rather dull contest with both teams settling for a 0-0 draw or similar.
However, Manchester United will be going to win the game that is certain. It wouldn’t suit them to play for a draw and they are not Champions elect for sitting back on the road.
Blackburn too should be positive. Are they realistically going to hold off Manchester United for 90 minutes if they park the bus? Very unlikely. They should take the game to the visitors and give themselves the best possible chance of securing the positive result they need.
Looking at the team news for this one, Blackburn defender Phil Jones has recovered from a back problem. Michel Salgado and David Dunn are also available.
As for the Red Devils, Edwin van der Sar could be rested and replaced by Tomasz Kuszczak or Anders Lindegaard. Elsewhere, there are doubts over Patrice Evra and John O’Shea.
Overall, it is an extremely significant match for both teams as Blackburn search for Premier League survival and Manchester United look to tie up their 12th Premier League title.
