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Don't blow it against Chelsea, warns Sir Alex

Sir Alex Ferguson has piled the pressure on his own players by urging them not to miss their chance to pull away from Chelsea in the Premiership title race.

Leaders Manchester United face champions Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday and would be six points ahead of their London rivals if Ferguson can get the better of Jose Mourinho for only the second time in nine attempts.

Ferguson said: "It's a great opportunity for us and it is up to us to make sure that it doesn't pass us by. In the last two years Chelsea have got themselves into a fantastic position of being nine or 10 points ahead of us and it's been very difficult to get back.

"We did our best last season in terms of a late run, but not quickly enough. We've been quick out of the blocks this time and for the first time we're in front. Now we have the prospect of going six points clear and them chasing us rather than us chasing them."

One distraction Ferguson could have done without was Wayne Rooney's appearance at a Manchester police station to answer questions about an alleged brawl outside a nightclub.

The 21-year-old was interviewed by officers investigating claims that a photographer was assaulted outside Panacea in Manchester city centre on October 15. He was questioned under caution but not arrested.

United expect to be at full strength on Sunday after defender Rio Ferdinand made good progress towards recovering from a knock he took in the Champions League defeat against Celtic on Tuesday night.

Ferguson has told his players to concentrate on the match and ignore the hype, but could not resist a mild dig at Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon's suggestion this week that the London club are on their way to toppling United as the world's biggest football name.

Ferguson said: "It was a nice time for him to bring that out. We're going to quake and tremble at that. What I do know is we've got a rich history and I don't think anyone can deny that."

Having witnessed Celtic's remarkable support on Tuesday at Parkhead, Ferguson is hoping for a similar input from his own club's supporters on Sunday.

"My only concern is that we have 76,000 people in that stadium and they had better shout," he added. "We have fantastic support and when they're really fired up, they are the best."

John Terry is expected to play alongside Ricardo Carvalho in Chelsea's defence after hearing that his mother's health is improving following a heart attack on Thursday.

Kenyon has confirmed Chelsea would be willing to consider an offer from West Ham for unsettled winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, but want to recoup a fair slice of the £21million they paid Manchester City for him in 2005. West Ham are thought to be prepared to pay £10m.