Ferguson says real United will show up at Chelsea

By Martyn Herman

LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester United sit just two points behind Chelsea in the table but as they prepare to visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday, there is a sense that something is not quite right with the Premier League champions.

Last month's 2-0 defeat at Liverpool was a sobering experience for Alex Ferguson and was concrete proof the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Carlos Tevez to Manchester City has severely diminished his team as an attacking force.

There are also worries at the back with Rio Ferdinand clearly off the pace as he struggles with a back injury and Nemanja Vidic, who was sent off against Liverpool, jittery.

While defeat at Stamford Bridge would not be catastrophic, Ferguson knows that a repeat of the Anfield debacle at Chelsea could put Carlo Ancelotti's team in the driving seat in the title race as winter looms.

"It's always a hard game at Chelsea, but we'll deal with it better than we did at Anfield, I'm sure of that," Ferguson told Inside United magazine on Wednesday.

"They're shaping up to be the main challengers. It seems they'll be the ones to get in front of."

United lacked fluency in their last Premier League game, a 2-0 home win against Blackburn Rovers, while against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League at Old Trafford on Tuesday their defence, minus Ferdinand and Vidic, was a shambles.

Two goals in the last five minutes inspired by substitute Wayne Rooney earned United a 3-3 draw to secure their place in the knockout round but it was a performance that offered plenty of encouragement to Chelsea.