The two giants of English football meet again - in a repeat of the 2008 Champions League Final in Moscow.
FLASHBACK 2008 Champions League Final, Moscow - It was 1-1 after extra-time between Manchester United and Chelsea, with penalties to decide who will be crowned Kings of Europe.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed the third spot-kick for United, thus it was all up to John Terry to win the European Cup for the Blues. But the Chelsea captain lost his footing. And even though he sent Edwin van der Sar the wrong way, his mis-hit effort hit the outside of the right post and went wide.
United went on to score the remaining penalties with Van der Sar saving Nicolas Anelka's spot-kick to secure his side's third Champions League trophy in their history and condemn Chelsea to an agonizing defeat.
6 APRIL 2011 Champions League Quarter-finals (1st Leg), Stamford Bridge - Chelsea vs Manchester United
Revenge. Carlo Ancelotti and his players have insisted that is the furthest thing in their minds ahead of the much anticipated clash against the Red Devils. But with 10 players involved in the 2008 Champions League final in the squad for Wednesday's showdown at Stamford Bridge, you'd be a fool to take their words seriously.
Frank Lampard, who scored the equalizer in 2008, claims: "I really promise you, revenge certainly isn't in our minds.
"When you play for a long period of time, as I have here, you see the ups and downs. You collect them.
"You don't any feel thoughts of revenge or anything against anyone.
Cech, on the other hand, insisted the Sir Alex Ferguson's men 'didn't really beat them' in 2008.
"They didn't really win that game, they just had more luck in the shoot-out," he was quoted as saying in the Daily Mirror
"It's in the past. We are looking to the future and we hope this time it will be us who go through."
"We go into the game with confidence because our record against Manchester United in recent years is very good, especially at home.
"If we get a good result we'll be in a good position going to Old Trafford," the 28-year-old concluded.
One notable fact is that United have not won at Stamford Bridge for nine years - something that left-back Patrice Evra is eager to change.
"It is something very strange," he said.
"Always we have the sensation we have played very well against Chelsea. In the end, at Stamford Bridge we always lose.
"Five weeks ago, there was only one team on the pitch. One year ago, we lost to a strange decision.
"The key is our concentration. We can play better than them but we must concentrate until the last minute."
Route to the Quarter-finals
Chelsea
Carlo Ancelotti's men finished Group F with five wins and a loss, and comfortably pipped Marseille to top spot. They notched up five wins on the trot against the likes of Marseille, Spartak Moscow and Zilina, before they lost their final group game to the French side, although they had already sealed qualification to the next round by then.
Standing in wait were Danish champions FC Copenhagen, who had finished second to Barcelona in Group D. Nicolas Anelka's double in the first leg gave his side a huge advantage, and while Copenhagen troubled the English champions in the return leg, they never came close to denying Chelsea a spot in the quarter-finals.
Manchester United
Given United's woeful away form in the league this season, it comes a surprise that they won all three of their away games in the group stage, against Valencia, Rangers and Bursaspor. It was at home where they struggled to convince, drawing two out of three games. Still, they went through undefeated and finished top of Group C.
United struggled in the first leg of the knockout round where they played out an insipid match against Marseille. Without a valuable away goal, United knew they had to get a result in the return leg at Old Trafford, and thankfully for them, two goals by Javier Hernandez gave them a 2-1 victory.
Key Battles
Fernando Torres vs Nemanja Vidic
The €50 million signing from Liverpool has been utterly disappointing to say the least. Seven games and yet to open his account for Chelsea, the pressure is truly on the Spaniard to deliver for his new club. And there is no better time and stage to do so than in the Champions League quarter-final showdown against United. With the first-leg to be played at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, all eyes will be on the familar face-off between Torres and Nemanja Vidic - although it has been pretty one-sided in their past few meetings, with the former Reds man reducing the Serbian centre-back to a gibbering wreck. Torres will be hoping to strike fear once again in the heart of United's defence but most importantly - to finally get his first strike for Chelsea.
John Terry vs Wayne Rooney
Definitely one of the most, if not the most highly anticipated battles between the Blues and the Red Devils. The two England team-mate would be familiar with each other's game, having played alongside and against each other on numerous occastions on both international and club stages. Both leaders and warriors on the pitch, expect nothing less than a fierce battle between the two.
Frank Lampard vs Darren Fletcher
The battle for midfield supremacy will be vital to the outcome of the match. Both Lampard and Fletcher have shone in the previous clashes between the two sides but it will be interesting to see who comes up trumps this time round. Lampard hasn't been in his best of form this season due to injuries and would love to get his campaign running and help the Blues exact revenge on the Red Devils. Fletcher on the other hand has been a prominent figure in the United midfield this season and his tireless and effective style of play will again be crucial for Sir Alex Ferguson's men.
Ashley Cole vs Nani
Most eyes will be on this drooling battle between argubly the best left-back and most feared winger in the Barclays Premier League. Cole has proven himself to be proficient in both offence and defence he could be faced with a stiffer test on his defensive qualities this time around by the in-form Nani, who has been United's star performer this season. With both players blessed with such great pace, we could well witness a stalemate in this particular battle.
