One of the tactical keys that was highlighted in our Manchester United vs. Chelsea match preview was the need to force Andres Villas-Boas' side to play on the flanks. As this excellent analysis piece points out -- from the Chelsea fansite We Ain't Got No History -- the goalscoring rates for the Blues tends to drop as their crossing efforts increase. During Chelsea's past five matches, three of their four highest crossing rates from this season has occurred. Their opponents seem to be congesting the middle of the pitch and forcing them wide. This likely has increased as of late because of two reasons: (1) the absence of Didier Drogba -- who is one of the fiercest aerial threats in the Premier League -- due to his current involvement in the African Cup of Nations. (2) Also, outside of Juan Mata, none of Chelsea's wide players -- whether that be wide attackers or full-backs -- are particularly strong at crossing the ball.

Here is a chart that displays crossing statistics for Chelsea's wide players from their 23 Premier League matches this season. Anything over a 30% success rate is considered very good while anything around 25% is decently solid. Following the chart is a brief discussion of each player's statistics and tactical role.

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On (Super Bowl)* Sunday, Manchester United will be in West London to face a foe that has been a title-contending rival for the better part of the past decade -- Chelsea FC. The two sides clashed five times during the calendar year of 2011: once this season during the reverse fixture when United emerged as 3-1 victors at Old Trafford, twice last season in Premier League action when each side won their respective home fixture, and twice over a two-legged UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie when United won by a 3-1 aggregate. As you may have astutely deduced, the one time Chelsea avoided defeat during these five encounters was during this same fixture last season -- a 2-1 league defeat of United at Stamford Bridge. The Bridge is also a venue where United have not won at since 2002 in league play.

* Sorry, even here, you can't escape the onslaught of Super Bowl promos! My pick is Patriots 31 Giants 28 if you happen to be wondering. You don't care? Okay, moving on...

MANCHESTER UNITED

Form Guide: United come into the match level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. However, the 'noisy neighbours' have a +6 goal differential advantage. The last match for the champions was a comfortable 2-0 defeat of Stoke City at the midweek. Prior to that, the Red Devils followed successive league defeats with successive league victories. Thus, United have picked up the maximum points in their last three league matches. During the past weekend, elimination from the FA Cup occurred at Anfield during a 1-2 defeat by Liverpool.

Team News: Injuries have seemingly been a season-long concern for United but the news in that regard is trending towards the positive end of the spectrum. The big setback from this week is the announcement that goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard will be out for at least four weeks due to an ankle ligament injury sustained in training. However, during his weekly press conference on Friday, manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed that the likes of Wayne Rooney, Nani, Tom Cleverley, and Ashley Young have all recovered from their injuries and all may be in the squad on Sunday. Along with Lindegaard, the following players are also out for this match: Nemanja Vidic, Darren Fletcher, Phil Jones, and Michael Owen. Anderson is also a doubt. (Full Manchester United Team News Report)

CHELSEA

Form Guide: It's been a difficult season for the Blues as their title hopes appear to have faded -- finishing at least fourth and qualifying again for next season's UEFA Champions League is very much the aim right now. Chelsea's last league match came at the midweek and it resulted in a 1-1 draw with Swansea City at Liberty Stadium. In their last eight league matches, the West Londoners have only picked up the full three points on two occasions. The past weekend saw Chelsea advance into round 5 of the FA Cup after their 1-0 defeat of Queens Park Rangers during a West London derby. On February 21, Andre Villa-Boas' side will begin a two-legged Champions League knockout stage tie versus Serie A side Napoli.

Team News: Chelsea will be missing a number of key players for this match due to injury, suspension, and the African Cup of Nations (AFCoN). Chelsea captain John Terry -- who was stripped of the England captaincy on Friday by the FA -- is out for the match due to a bone oedema issue in his knee. Midfielders Ramires and John Obi Mikel are also unavailable due to injury while Frank Lampard will undergo a fitness test on Saturday during training in order to determine whether or not if he can feature. Ashley Cole is suspended for the match after being sent off versus Swansea while both Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are both unavailable due to their involvement with Ivory Coast in the AFCoN. (Full Chelsea Team News Report)

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Manchester United isn't the only club with concerns over the lack of availability of so many first-team squad members. Their opponents on Sunday -- Chelsea FC -- will be missing a number of key players due to injury, suspension, and the African Cup of Nations. Blues' manager Andre Villas-Boas held his weekly press conference today and he was able to provide a bit of insight as to who is available for selection versus United.

Undoubtedly, the hot topic of news at the moment is the England FA's decision to strip John Terry of his country's captaincy. Terry -- who is also the skipper for Chelsea -- missed his side's last match versus Swansea City and he has also been ruled out for the United encounter with a lingering bone oedema issue in his knee. Here is what Villas-Boas had to say about his defender:

"We went through January when our efficiency defensively improved a lot. John Terry was one of the most used players during this period and has been magnificent, him and his colleagues who partner him, so in that sense it is always a blow. He is the captain, a leader on the pitch and off it and he is a great player so we will miss him of course."

Source: ChelseaFC.com

Ashley Cole is also unavailable for this match and the question of who will deputise for the left-back was discussed during the press conference. The question is an important one because whoever the left-back at Stamford Bridge is for Chelsea on Sunday, he will be tasked with having to defend the in-form Antonio Valencia. Villas-Boas indicated that either Ryan Bertrand or Jose Bosingwa would deputise:

"It is a difficult decision. We have full trust in Ryan's abilities and it is a game of massive importance based on recent results and the fact we are playing the champions at home. The decision will be made when we practice strategically for the game on Saturday."

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson took his press conference this morning and the main news is regarding the goalkeeper situation. Our "number one" has injured his ankle ligaments, From Sky Sports

""De Gea should be fit. It looks like Lindegaard will be out for at least four weeks, maybe even five or six. It's ankle ligaments.

If Fergie is mentioning that David De Gea is fit, that suggests that he will slide back into the number one jersey in Anders's absence. Ben Amos done well against Stoke, but that was his first Premier League start, so I can understand the reasoning of sticking De Gea back into the mix, even if I don't agree.

Fergie also had this to offer on the other injuries

"We're a bit better in terms of injuries. I hope Wayne Rooney, Nani, Tom Cleverley and Ashley Young will all be in the squad. Rooney and Nani have trained for the last two days. It's more likely Tom will play against Chelsea reserves on Monday but he'll travel [on Sunday]."

Good news. This seriously enhances our depth and options. Most exciting is that, although it is seriously unlikely he will play, Tom Cleverley is very near to a return.

I expect Rooney to start, and maybe Nani to start on the bench, but wouldn't be suprised if he started. My thoughts behind this is that Park Ji-sung has been in very good form, coming off the left wing and his industry will be very helpful at the Bridge. Antonio Valencia is in no danger of being dropped. Also, if we need a goal, Nani is a very dangerous sub to bring on.

So, how relieved are you that our squad is nearing full strength once again? How much of a miss will Anders be?