adminChelsea head into tomorrow’s home game against Premier League champions Manchester United with manager Jose Mourinho looking to clock up 100 wins in the Premier League.“My 100th victory in the Premier League is going to happen, we are going to try to do it against Man United,” Mourinho told reporters yesterday.
Chelsea are third in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Arsenal and improving on a weekly basis but “The Special One” said he was working towards long-term goals.
“We are not desperate to win the title. We are building for the future, but we want to keep our DNA of winning all the time,” he said.
“The team is improving and we are going to fight for the title until the very end. Let’s see what happens,” he added.
Mourinho signed Nemanja Matic from Benfica this week and he believes the Serbian midfielder will be a hit at Stamford Bridge.
“I’m sure Matic will have a big impact. I’m happy he has come now because it gives time to adapt before next season,” Mourinho said.
“I am happy with the squad, not just now but for the future,” he added.
Although Manchester United are lagging 11 points behind Arsenal, Mourinho is still expecting a tough game. “We are not playing against a team that is 11 points behind the leader, we are playing against the champions,” he said.
The former Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Porto manager also expressed his disappointment at United’s injury problems, with strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie likely to miss the game.
“I would prefer Rooney and Van Persie to play. I prefer to play against the best players,” Mourinho said.
Meanwhile, Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will use today’s clash against Cardiff to step up his return from injury as the Argentine eyes a Champions League showdown with Barcelona.
Aguero scored on his return from eight matches out with a calf problem after coming off the bench in City’s 5-0 FA Cup third round replay victory against Blackburn on Wednesday.
Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko helped City to seven wins and a draw in the absence of Aguero, scoring six goals in that run of matches.
But City boss Manuel Pellegrini, whose second placed side are one point behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, knows the return of Aguero is a major boost as the Eastlands outfit try to overhaul the Gunners ahead of the first leg of the Champions League last 16 tie against Spanish champions Barcelona on February 18.
Aguero, who took his goal tally to 20 for the season against Rovers, played for 18 minutes in midweek and Pellegrini may decide to introduce the former Atletico Madrid star from the bench to slowly build his fitness.
Pellegrini believes it will take two or three matches for Aguero, who suffered his injury in the 6-3 victory over Arsenal on December 14, to be back to his best.
Yet the striker has promised he will be firing by the time City come up against Barcelona in the Champions League. Before then they have a key trip to Tottenham and a home match against Chelsea as they battle for first place in the Premier League with Arsenal.
“Maybe in a week I’ll be on top form,” Aguero said. “Obviously the more you play, the better you feel and against Barca I will be ready.
“But we still have time and first we need to think about the next Premier League games which are very important, and then we’ll think about Barca.
“I hope I can play a little bit longer on Saturday and take it step by step. I think we are doing very well. We have improved a lot since the beginning of the season. We must keep working like that. We are all playing very well.
“We are building a great team and we need to continue trying to score more goals.”
City take an unbeaten run of 16 matches, which has brought 14 wins, into their match against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
The 5-0 hammering of Blackburn took them on to 99 goals for the season and they will expect to pass that mark with some ease against the Welsh side.- Supersport.
Online Reporter