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Today at 18:05 Lithuanian time, the central match of the first round of the English Premiership between London and will begin. You can watch the live match commentary on our football portal - Eurofootball.com.
It's the start of the season, the first match, a chance for two English football giants to prove their strength, a chance for new club signings to prove their worth. "Man Utd" travels to "Stamford Bridge" to play one of the most important matches of the season.
"Chelsea" against "Man Utd". Jose Mourinho against Sir Alex Ferguson. The "Blues" against the "Red Devils". South against North. This meeting is not just a battle for three points, but, most importantly, a principled battle between two very different teams.
In this match, "Chelsea" is expected to debut five newcomers: , Mateja Kezman, Petr Cech, , and Didier Drogba. The London club only has two absences - Arjen Robben will miss the match due to injury, and Robert Huth is suspended for three matches.
"Man Utd" is in much worse mood. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Louis Saha, Kleberson, Wes Brown - all injured. Darren Fletcher and Rio Ferdinand are suspended. Gabriel Heinze and - at the Olympic football tournament. Can a team depleted like this win?
The biggest micro-duel will probably be between Frank Lampard and Alan Smith. Although these players are in different positions, there is no doubt that they are the leaders of their teams, displaying optimal athletic form.
Predicted starting lineups:
"Chelsea": Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Bridge; Geremi, Lampard, Makelele, Duff; Kezman, Drogba.
"Man Utd": Howard; G. Neville, Keane, Silvestre, Fortune; Miller, Djemba-Djemba, O’Shea, Giggs, Scholes; Smith.
