Manchester United are two points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand over second place Arsenal, and will look to stretch that margin with a win over Blackpool today. Blackpool, who've played expansive, attacking football even when facing big teams (resulting in a 6-0 loss at the Emirates and a 4-0 reverse at Stamford Bridge), shouldn't be expected to change their style here. Expect an open game with plenty of action, something that will suit Sir Alex Ferguson's United just fine.
Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick will miss the match for the visitng side, with Chris Smalling and Darren Gibson starting in their place, while Wayne Rooney will make his 300th appearance in a United shirt. Transfer-requesting Charlie Adam is too important to Blackpool's hopes of points at Bloomfield Road for Ian Holloway to drop, so he starts despite murmurs that he'll be wearing a Liverpool shirt before too long. Perhaps he's hoping to endear himself to his prospective new employees by contributing to an upset of their most hated rivals today!
Manchester United (4-4-2): Van der Sar; Evra, Smalling, Vidic, Rafael, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher, Gibson; Berbatov, Rooney.
Subs: Lindegaard, Fabio Da Silva, 23 Evans, Anderson, Giggs, Owen, Hernandez
Blackpool (4-4-2): Kingson; Eardley, Evatt, Baptiste, Cathcart; Vaughan, Grandin, Adam, Taylor-Fletcher, Varney, Campbell.
Subs: Rachubka, Edwards, Southern, Sylvestre, Phillips, Harewood, Ormerod.