United struggle ahead of Blackburn tie

LONDON: Manchester United's chances of emulating Chelsea by beating Blackburn and taking over first place in the Premier League on Saturday look slim because of a spate of injuries and the Blues' imperious form. United may struggle even for victory with Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand both fighting calf problems and possibly set to join Darren Fletcher, Gary Neville, Park Ji-sung and Danny Welbeck on the sidelines.
Chelsea go into thir game at Bolton on a streak of 13 goals in three matches following last weekend's 5-0 win over Blackburn. Midfielder Joe Cole is back. Chelsea can also recall John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ricardo Carvalho and Nicolas Anelka after resting them on Wednesday, and Ashley Cole may return from an ankle problem.
Liverpool gets the first real test of its revival at Fulham on Saturday. Jamie Carragher, Fernando Torres and Jose Reina are all set to return. But captain Steven Gerrard and defender Glen Johnson have been ruled out. Also on Saturday, third-place Arsenal hosts fourth-place Tottenham in the north London derby.