Man United hope to avenge Chelsea misery
MAROUANE Fellaini insists Manchester United are confident of avenging the worst moment of Jose Mourinho’s reign when they return to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarterfinals tonight.
Mourinho’s first visit to Stamford Bridge since his sacking as Chelsea boss last season ended in humiliation as his former club romped to a 4-0 victory over United in October.
United have used the memory of that painful loss to fuel a dominant period which has seen them lose just twice in all competitions since then.
They lifted the first major trophy of the Mourinho era with a League Cup final victory against Southampton last month and remain in contention for further silverware in the FA Cup and Europa League.
Chelsea have been equally powerful, opening up a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League and advancing to the last eight of the FA Cup as boss Antonio Conte chases a double in his first season as Mourinho’s permanent replacement in west London.
Although United are 17 points behind Chelsea, United midfielder Fellaini is adamant they can turn the tables with a place in the semifinals up for grabs.
“Obviously, we lost there a few months ago, but now it is the FA Cup and we will see what happens,” he said.
“They are top of the league, they have confidence, they have great players, but we will show our quality and see what happens.”
Chelsea’s hopes of securing a club record 13th successive home win may have been boosted by the contrasting preparations the two teams had last week.
While Conte and his players have been able to plot Mourinho’s downfall at their training base since Monday’s win at West Ham, United were forced to embark on a draining trip to Russian club Rostov on Thursday in the Europa League.
Mourinho bemoaned the poor quality of the pitch in Russia and, with his players not arriving home until the early hours of Friday, it would be no surprise if they showed signs of fatigue at Stamford Bridge.
Even so, Conte does not anticipate an easy ride from a team with United’s strength in depth.
“Manchester United, together with [Manchester] City, have the best squads in the league,” he said.
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger avoided more humiliation as Arsenal moved into the FA Cup semifinals with a 5-0 win against minnows Lincoln City, while Manchester City joined the Gunners in the last four after a 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough on Saturday. – AFP