Arshavin is a major doubt after being unable to train all week due to suffering from flu. Hopefully not of the swine variety. It’s unlikely he’ll even make the squad let alone start

Outplayed and outclassed by a team that are much, much better than us. That’s all there is to say about Tuesday night. In my mind it was never particularly likely that we would beat a team as good as the mancs in a game of such importance, and so it proved. Any further analysis seems unnecessary, we were never in either game. Our season is now over, out of all competitions and unable to finish any higher or lower than our current league position. Even if we do beat Chelsea, because of their superior goal difference we would require them to lose at least one and draw the other against Blackburn at home and Sunderland away. Somehow I can’t see that happening. We can still have a say in the title race, however. After Tuesday’s result though, I doubt many give us any hope of getting a result at Old Trafford next weekend. If Liverpool win their remaining games, United would clinch the title and receive the trophy if they avoid a loss against us. Won’t that be fun to watch. Chelsea will be as down as us following their late loss against Barcelona, but they were at least in the match for most of the game and can be reasonably proud of their performance.

Chelsea have conceded the fewest goals away from home in the Premier League this season. For all the praise Manchester United’s defence received this season, Chelsea’s is the more solid, conceding two goals less than the champions. They’ve also won more away games than any other team in the league this season. Chelsea have won eight of their last nine league games, our current unbeaten run in the league now stretches to twenty one games. In our last fourteen matches against Chelsea in all competitions, we’ve won two, drawn five and lost seven. Six of the last ten have been losses. Not a glorious record, as such. But before that, we had won fifteen, drawn six and lost only two of twenty three meetings in all competitions under Arsene’s management. We’ve won seven of our eleven meetings at home in the Premier League with Wenger as manager, drawing three and losing one.

Team News

Arshavin is a major doubt after being unable to train all week due to suffering from flu. Hopefully not of the swine variety. It’s unlikely he’ll even make the squad let alone start, so we’ll probably see the same squad as Tuesday night. We’re playing for a bit of pride, might as well put our strongest team out. van Persie didn’t look fully fit against Manchester United, hopefully he’ll be a bit more match ready for this game, we’ll need him in Arshavin’s absence. I’m assuming Gibbs was substituted at half time of the Champions League game because his confidence had gone after his slip rather than because of an injury, but Silvestre or Eboue could take his place if he’s still suffering.

Subs: Fabianski, Gibbs, Eboue, Song, Diaby, Vela, Bendtner.

Joe Cole and Paulo Ferreira are out for the season, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco miss this game through injury. Drogba is apparently a doubt after picking up an ankle problem against Barcelona but he’ll probably play. Seeing as, like us, they’ve pretty much got nothing left to play for, unable to win the league if United win any of their remaining four matches, including games against Wigan and Hull, they’ll put their strongest team out and be playing for pride like us.