Manchester United - Chelsea: An Early Look at Sunday's Match (September 18, 2011)

Sunday's featured Premier League matchup offers a battle of the minds between an upstart manager and an elder statesman, when Chelsea travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.

Sir Alex Ferguson, 69, will be looking to guide his first-place Red Devils over the Blues, who are managed by 33-year-old Andre Villas-Boas.

Earlier this year, Daily Mail described Ferguson as the grumpy Glaswegian who has built a career on confrontation, while David Beckham described Ferguson as a father figure, and the same has been said of the relationship between Ferguson and players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, and Gary Neville.

Young Villas-Boas is still carving out an identity beyond just a devoted tactician, as he steps out of the shadow of former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. In his short time with the Blues, Villas-Boas has been animated and fiery on the sideline.

As much as the media focus will be on the disparity of age between Ferguson and Villas-Boas, the match is what really matters, and both squads boast impressive rosters as they make a run at the Premier League title.

While Chelsea have a collection of aging stars, there are plenty of young players who have shined recently. Striker Daniel Sturridge, 22, scored perhaps the best goal of the short season for Chelsea against Sunderland last week, while 24-year-old David Luiz blasted a right-footed score against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

Summer transfer addition Juan Mata, 23, also scored for Chelsea on Tuesday, and the creative midfielder is confident going into Sunday's match.

Obviously, [Manchester United] have had a strong start, said the Spaniard, according to Sky Sports. But I think that we're closing that gap.

Ferguson's squad are well aware of the Blues' collective talent and won't take the 2010 Champions lightly.

Chelsea are a top side, with a lot of experience, said midfielder Michael Carrick. They have a new manager and have brought in some younger, fresher, exciting players.

The Red Devils didn't quite look themselves against Benfica on Wednesday. Though United earned a draw on the road, star forward Wayne Rooney didn't make much of an impact, and neither did substitutes Ji-Sung Park and Javier Hernandez.

Perhaps Rooney could use a return to Old Trafford and Premier League competition to return to his previous form. The 25-year-old has scored eight goals, and has one assist this season in four Premier League matches, while Manchester United, against West Bromwich Albion, Tottenham, Arsenal, and Bolton, have outscored their opponents by a combined total of 18-3.

Centre back Nemanja Vidic remains sidelined for the Red Devils, along with right back Rafael, midfielder Tom Cleverley. Forward Danny Welbeck and centre back Rio Ferdinand might be back in action against Chelsea.

The Blues will be without injured Michael Essien, and Didier Drogba is questionable due to a head injury.