Chelsea have the edge for showdown with United

It's a tough one to call, but Chelsea just hold the advantage ahead of the biggest Premier League clash of the season so far this coming Sunday- but only because they will be at home at Stamford Bridge.

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Two goals from Didier Drogba against Madrid put Chelsea through in the Champions League

It's as simple as that, because it's virtually impossible to separate these two teams otherwise. Chelsea's biggest advantage on Sunday is the fact that they are playing in front of their own fans. If the game was at Old Trafford, I would strongly favour United, especially after their storming comeback against CSKA Moscow.

Chelsea mounted their own fightback in Madrid against Atletico, where Didier Drogba was a one-man demolition squad, which emphasised the point I've been making all season, that Chelsea are nowhere near the same team without him.

Drogba's first with his head was powerful and intimidating, but nothing compared to his bludgeoning run past two defenders and putting away the rebound to his initial effort. Awesome.

United are going to find it tough to contain such a menacing centre forward playing the best football of his career, particularly as their defence is looking decidedly shaky, having conceded three against the side that almost produced the shock of Tuesday night.

Otherwise, there was little to no indication in their respective Champions League contests to give any kind of concrete pointer to the outcome of Sunday's encounter upon which so much will rest in the race for the title.

Both Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlo Ancelotti rested half a dozen players from the starting line-up for their Champions League ties; both came back to record draws that put them into the knock-out stages with two games to spare. Both camps came through unscathed.

Chelsea have had the slight disadvantage of having to travel back from Spain through the night, while Untied had the comfort of home territory. That would appear to give United a slight edge come Sunday. But then it's United's turn to go on their travels to London, while Chelsea can recuperate at their training camp in preparation for a vital game with home advantage. For me that is the key factor.

Home advantage has been vital in this fixture over the past ten years, with away victories few and far between. United have won just once at the Bridge in the Premier League since 1998.

Don't let them tell you it's too early in the season for this match to have any bearing on the championship, its only three points at stake etc, etc; the usual football cliches churned out by the managers and the majority of pundits. It will set the tone for the rest of the season for both these powerhouses of English football.

Chelsea can open up a five-point gap at the top of the table if they win, and it would also enable the chasing pack to catch United, and perhaps mount their own challenge to Chelsea. As I've always said, that team might actually be from the other side of Manchester, as City have a game in hand in fourth place at the moment.

So this is a game neither side can afford to lose, and either side would take enormous satisfaction in winning as it would be a launch pad to take enormous strides toward landing the title.