Chelsea aim to put pressure on United

LONDON, England -- Chelsea manager Avram Grant reckons that Manchester United could wobble under the pressure if his London club join them on 80 points at the top of the Premier League.

Leaders United went six points clear after Sunday's 2-1 victory at Old Trafford effectively ended Arsenal's title ambitions.

Wins for Chelsea over Wigan tonight and against Everton on Thursday would put the Blues level with Alex Ferguson's side and set up a potential title decider when United go to Stamford Bridge on April 26.

Grant believes that two wins in four days for Chelsea could put United's players under enough pressure for them to start making costly errors.

"I believe that nobody is a computer," said Grant. "Pressure can affect anybody. It can take you forward in a positive way but also you can see that even big players under pressure cannot play like they used to. It can be any team, any player.

"If we win every game I think we will win the title. But it's not easy to win all the games. I said a week ago I didn't believe Man United and Arsenal would do it, it's not easy.

"I can't say we are the best in England but I don't think there is a team stronger than us. I will not say we are the best in the world, even though we want to be, but I can say when we have all our players I don't see a team stronger than us.

"I have told the players it has been a very difficult year and I don't know if other clubs could have done what we have with all the injuries to big players, with the African Cup of Nations and with all the problems we have had.

"The atmosphere is good and we come to the last stage of the season with a very good opportunity to do the best things -- we don't want to miss it."

Chelsea face Liverpool over two legs in the Champions League semifinals with the winners playing either United or Barcelona in the Moscow final.

"The players know it's a big opportunity and if I may say so, we deserve it after what we had this year," added Grant.

Chelsea face Wigan with Grant debating whether to play goalkeeper Petr Cech in a special mask to protect 50 stitches in a facial wound sustained in an accident on the training ground.

Cech has trained with and without the mask but Grant was awaiting a medical decision on whether to risk him tonight.

The Czech Republic international already has to wear a special helmet to protect the skull he fractured earlier in his Chelsea career and, if he is selected, he could be forced to wear a chin guard until his stitches are removed.

"We are testing a mask," said Grant. "We need to go again with it to see. In one training he wore a mask and in another he was without it. We are checking all the possibilities with him.

"I think for the moment it's a risk. But I have not spoken with the specialist. I'm not a doctor."

Third-choice Hilario will play if Grant opts to leave Cech to recover further. Cech's normal understudy Carlo Cudicini has a hamstring injury which could rule him out for the rest of the season. E-mail to a friend