United out to stop poor run against Liverpool

The highlight of the weekend in England is tomorrow's Lancashire derby between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils will be keen to put one over Liverpool after three straight defeats to their fierce rivals in the Premier League. Earlier this season, the Reds beat United 2-0 (Torres, Ngog) at Anfield and last season they did the double: home 2-1 (Brown og, Babel - Tevez), away 4-1 (Torres, Gerrard pen., Aurelio, Dossena − Ronaldo penalty).

This time last season, these two clubs were fighting it out for the title. United are again in contention to retain the crown as they top the Premier League standings but Liverpool are only battling to finish fourth and gain a place in the Champions League.

This season's title race is a three-horse affair involving Chelsea and Arsenal, besides United.

If you look at the recent form of United and Liverpool, the Red Devils should be regarded as favourites to take the three points tomorrow.

England striker Wayne Rooney has been firing on all cylinders while Fernando Torres has warned Liverpool that he may consider his future at the club if they fail to invest in new signings.

There is also the big question that is haunting Torres and his team-mates - will Liverpool be in the Champions League next season?

The performance against bottom side Portsmouth at Anfield, where Torres scored twice in a 4-1 win, could count for nothing as the Reds have not been consistent this season. In midweek, Liverpool progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League after thumping Lille 3-0 at Anfield.

But, United manager Alex Ferguson will leave no stone unturned to lead his team to victory with Chelsea and Arsenal breathing down the champions' neck.

After their Champions League upset to Jose Mourinho's Inter, Chelsea must now concentrate on their Premiership challenge.

The Blues travel to Ewood Park tomorrow to play Blackburn Rovers who seem to rise to the occasion when they come in contact with the London side.

Blackburn claimed 28 points at home from a total of 34 so far and have won their last four Premier League games, conceding only one goal in the process. Indeed, Chelsea face a tall order to finish first if you take a closer look at their remaining fixtures.

Like United and Chelsea, Arsenal are still fighting on two fronts.

If manager Arsene Wenger nurtures his young players' desire for success, Arsenal can be the dark horses for honours at home and in Europe. They also need experienced defender William Gallas to marshall their back four.

Six straight wins in the Premier League have kept Arsenal in the thick of things.

This afternoon, the Gunners host relegation strugglers West Ham in a London derby.

England striker Theo Walcott, who turned 21 on Tuesday, is finally fulfilling his potentials and his darting runs into the box can cause havoc to any defence.