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Bosingwa missing for Blues Chelsea have just one player missing from their squad as they prepare for the visit of Manchester United on Sunday.

Full-back Jose Bosingwa is still suffering from his knee problem and is unavailable.

But Yury Zhirkov and John Mikel Obi are in the squad along with goalkeeper Hilario.

The Chelsea boss wants his side to extend their two-point lead over United at the top of the Barclays Premier League but has tried to calm the fervour surrounding the fixture.

"Psychologically, it will not mean more," said Ancelotti. "We have to play against a strong team. We will play against the second team in the list of the Premier League, but I think that it's just a game that carries three points like the others.

"It's a very important game. It's important because we play against a fantastic team, but we know very well that it will be a very difficult match but also a very interesting one.

"We are happy to play this game at this moment. I think we are doing very well, we are in good condition and we have a very good mental attitude." United will be without calf injury victim Rio Ferdinand in defence but Ancelotti does not think Sir Alex Ferguson's side will be vulnerable as a result.

"I think Manchester United have a very good team," added the Italian. "Like us, they are doing very well because they have qualified in the Champions League and have done very well in the Premier League.

"Sometimes against Ferguson I've won. Sometimes he's won. But it's not a match between Ancelotti and Ferguson. It's Chelsea v Manchester United.

"I have a very good relationship with Ferguson. I think that he's one of the best coaches in the world. He has won a lot of trophies and I have respect for him." But Ancelotti will not entertain the idea that the title race is a two-horse affair between them and United, citing a rejuvenated Arsenal as being very much in the mix.

"I think Arsenal have good possibilities to arrive in first place," he added.

"We can't think about Liverpool at this moment because they are behind, but Arsenal have a very good team and a very good chance to win." Nemanja Vidic is set to return for Manchester United.

The Serbian has missed two games due to a calf strain but returned to training earlier this week and is expected to be fit, along with #30.75million record signing Dimitar Berbatov, who missed Tuesday's win over CSKA Moscow after taking a bang on his knee-cap.

Rio Ferdinand (calf) is definitely out, along with Park Ji-sung (knee), while Gary Neville is suspended, so John O'Shea is set to return.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson knows his side will have to improve upon recent performances if they are to buck the recent trend at Stamford Bridge, where they have not won in any of their last seven visits.

"We have to get our act together because our record down there has not been good for the last six years," said Ferguson.

"It is a strange situation because we used to have a terrific record down there up until a few years ago. But we have let it slip.

Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd

Last modified 09:52 09/11/09

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Carlo Ancelotti wore the look of a manager destined to win the Premier League after Chelsea struck a major blow in the battle for the title.

It was a look of relief after his team dug in and ground out yet another victory at Stamford Bridge when they barely deserved it.

Chelsea boss Ancelotti will know that his team were lucky as Manchester United certainly did not deserve to lose after a gritty, niggly battle of wills at Stamford Bridge.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is at his most dangerous when his team are written off and his patched-up line-up were hardly given a prayer yesterday.

But when you have Wayne Rooney in your team, you are never going to be lacking in passion, commitment and fight.

For 76 minutes yesterday, United looked the better team and Rooney ran himself into the ground while Darren Fletcher bossed the midfield.

But you can never, ever write off Chelsea. Under Ancelotti, Chelsea have also kept their never-say-die spirit and that is what in the end saw them chalk up an 11th straight home win.

Forget the rather jovial argument between John Terry and Nicolas Anelka as to who got the final touch on the winning header.

The most important thing was that someone did and generally Chelsea have always got the decisive touch when it has mattered this season.

It also takes them five points clear of second-placed Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and that, even in November and having played a game more, is a pretty daunting advantage.

But what is even more daunting is Chelsea’s ability to win when they are below their best and they certainly were that yesterday.

Ancelotti has won Serie A and Champions League titles with AC Milan and has that magical winning mentality which he has clearly passed on to this Chelsea team and results like yesterday will only strengthen their belief.

United were without their first choice central defensive partnership, Dimitar Berbatov and not given much hope of winning at Stamford Bridge.

But United were much the better team in the first half as Fletcher, Anderson and Michael Carrick ran the midfield while Deco looked lost and Frank Lampard was uncharacteristically subdued.

United’s sticking point was their failure to create enough clear cut chances. Their best before the break came when Fletcher’s terrific through ball released Ryan Giggs but the United veteran showed no composure and lobbed over the bar.

It is a rather depressing statement on Michael Owen’s future at Old Trafford that he does not get a game even when United are so depleted. And for all of United’s domination of possession, they created far too little and missed a finisher.

The game was strangely dull and lacking incident before the 58th minute when finally referee Martin Atkinson dished out a yellow card to Branislav Ivanovic for a late foul on Giggs.

But Michael Ballack inflamed things as he angrily accused Giggs of trying to get Ivanovic booked and, from then on, any hint of peace in our time was gone as tempers began to get frayed.

Finally, Ancelotti bucked the trend when - after the Chelsea crowd chanted his name over and over - he brought on Joe Cole for the ineffective Deco in the 64th minute.

Rooney, with all of his non-stop running and industry, finally forced Chelsea keeper Petr Cech into a brilliant 68th minute save with a curling, dipping shot.

Then things turned really nasty. Jonny Evans lashed out with his foot as he leapt with Didier Drogba and, for once, the Chelsea striker looked hard done by. Drogba went down in agony and got booked for play-acting.

Sadly, Drogba was the little boy who cried wolf and this time, in the 74th minute, he was clearly wronged.

But two minutes later, Chelsea got the all-important winner. Fletcher fouled Ashley Cole and Lampard, coming back to life, swung in a brilliant free kick and Terry and Anelka both rose as the Chelsea captain nodded past Edwin van Der Sar.

United were incensed, claiming Drogba was in an offside position, affecting van Der Sar’s view, and Rooney was booked for his protests.

Tempers then boiled over even more as Ricardo Carvalho and Evans got booked for an ugly clash which nearly sparked a mass brawl. Then Fletcher showed his ugly side as he tried to get Carvalho booked again and sent off for a foul.

It was an ugly, nasty way to finish the game. But then it perhaps showed United’s frustrations and summed up a game which Chelsea won on a battle of wills rather than through quality.