A loss to Chelsea on Sunday will put Manchester United 9 points out of first place. Should the Red Devils win, they would find themselves only three points behind the Blues. The weekend presents a few scenarios that don’t bode well for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men but, but they’d be well served to wrest a positive result from the one match within their control.

Liverpool, with a win, would improve to 13 points on the season which, even if Man. U. were to win, would create a six point gap between the clubs. If previous seasons are any indication, falling behind in the title race early can be difficult to efface. It’s definitely too early to be making predictions but if United lose, the typically four-horse race at the top won’t be including them.