With maximum points from their first two games, the Blues should be too strong for Spurs when they meet at Stamford Bridge, and United doesn't have a Premier League game because it plays Zenit St. Petersburg on Friday in the European Super Cup.alt="Man United vs Chelsea"Title="soccer highlights man united chelsea
Although the Red Devils will have a game in hand, a five-point lead could give Chelsea an early psychological boost in the title race and put pressure on Alex Ferguson's team as the defending champion tries to catch up.
Chelsea lost out by two points last season to finish runner-up to United for the second year in a row. But it looks stronger with the arrival of Deco from FC Barcelona and Jose Bosingwa from FC Porto, and more confident under new inspirational coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.
By contrast, Spurs are having a difficult opening spell after losses to Middlesbrough and Sunderland.
Striker Dimitar Berbatov could be on his way to United, and that appears to be having an unsettling effect on the team, which also has lost Robbie Keane to Liverpool but may be joined by talented striker Roman Pavlyuchenko.
The Russian has flown into Britain for talks and Spurs hope to conclude a deal before the transfer window closes at midnight Sunday.
Chelsea's attempt to sign Real Madrid striker Robinho is still up in the air, however.
Madrid president Ramon Calderon has said the club wants the Brazilian to stay and Robinho has been training with the Spanish champion ahead of this weekend's start of the domestic league season.
"He is a very good player but it is not only me that wants him, all the coaches in the world do too," Scolari said. "But at the moment what is happening on the pitch is the only important thing for me. For my players to play well against Tottenham is what matters."
The Chelsea-Spurs matchup is one of three eye-catching games this weekend.
Also on Sunday, Liverpool goes to Aston Villa with the Reds also on six points from two games but playing well short of top form. Among Saturday's six games, Arsenal hosts Newcastle.
Liverpool scraped into the lucrative group phase of the Champions League with a winner two minutes from the end of extra time against Standard Liege on Wednesday but faces Villa without captain Steven Gerrard, who has had surgery to repair a lingering groin injury and will be out of action for at least two weeks.
Villa's lineup will include another England midfielder, Gareth Barry, who has been a transfer target all summer for Liverpool but eventually stayed at Villa Park after the two clubs failed to agree on a fee.
Arsenal, which lost only three times last season, comes off a shock 1-0 loss at Fulham and is in the bottom half in the standings, three points off the lead. Once again, manager Arsene Wenger has refused to make any big moves in the transfer market and is relying on his rising young stars.
The Gunners manager endorsed a call by UEFA president Michel Platini that clubs who went deeply into debt and in danger of going out of business should be kicked out of European competitions.
"UEFA will bring in a control of the management of every individual club," Wenger said. "It is very important for the fans of the competition first, and it is very important that every club lives with the resources they have available.
Newcastle improved its own finances by selling winger James Milner to Villa for a reported 10 million pounds (US$18.3 million; €12.4 million) although it's a departure that won't please the Magpies fans.
"He's a player, in an ideal world, you would not want to lose," Keegan said. "But I just want to make it absolutely clear that it was my decision to sell him. We got an offer that I feel was his value. He's a fantastic professional, and there's no doubt about it, (Villa) have got an outstanding player and we have got to move on."
Saturday's other games are Bolton vs. West Bromwich Albion; Everton vs. Portsmouth; Hull vs. Wigan; Middlesbrough vs. Stoke; and West Ham vs. Blackburn. Also Sunday, it's Sunderland vs. Manchester City.
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