Old heroes say much will depend on Chelsea and Manchester United keeping their big guns fit for the title pursuit

Once again the Premier League looks as if it will be won by one of the two teams who have finished as champions for the past five seasons. Arsenal’s defeat by Chelsea has left them nine yawning points behind the leaders, making Manchester United the most likely to battle it out with Carlo Ancelotti’s side for the title.

United and Chelsea have seven more league games before a showdown at Old Trafford at the start of April that should be pivotal in deciding where the title goes. The pair have dominated the league since 2005 – only Arsenal, that season, and Liver­pool, last time, have split them.

“It’s the way everyone expected it to be when the season kicked off,” said Lou Macari, who played more than 400 times for Manchester United and is now an MUTV pundit. “We’re getting on to the home run, and the points that separate them is probably the difference at this stage that [was] expected. It’s there for either side to win.”

Indeed, after 25 games Chelsea have 58 points to United’s 56, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side accruing a goal difference of 41, one better than their rivals. Tomorrow evening each side have tricky away appointments – United visit the much improved Aston Villa and Chelsea walk out at Everton, whose recent form has lifted them to ninth.

“It’s still wide open,” said John ­Hollins, who wore Chelsea colours in more than 600 games, before managing them to sixth place in 1986. “There’s 13 matches still left, and they’ve still got to play each other.”

From that meeting on 3