Premier League preview: Blackpool v Manchester United

Manchester United travel to Bloomfield Road to play Blackpool on Saturday on the back of their most complete performance of the season.

United defeated Blackburn Rovers 7-1 on Saturday to move into a position very familiar to them over the past two decades – first place on the English Premier League table, two points clear of both Chelsea and Arsenal.

With Dimitar Berbatov scoring five for United, and Wayne Rooney having made a successful return from an ankle injury, the skies are blue over Old Trafford at the moment.

Even the injury news is good for Sir Alex Ferguson, with Paul Scholes a chance to resume after a groin complaint kept him out of the Blackburn game, meaning only Michael Owen, Owen Hargreaves and long-term victim Antonio Valencia will be missing.

Even Valencia, who has been out since his horror ankle break against Rangers in the Champions League on September 14, received good news this week when it was revealed he could return in February with the aid of some NASA-designed rehabilitation equipment.

For Ian Holloway’s Blackpool, after a worrying 6-0 defeat at Arsenal in their second game, they have steadied in recent weeks and sit in 11th place on the league table, 12 points behind United.

In their most recent game, they were held to a 2-2 draw away from home by Bolton, despite leading twice.

Blackpool’s whirlwind style of play has been a revelation in the Premier League this season and the Bolton game was a wonderful display of attacking football that Holloway described as the best he had ever seen his side play.

In-form striker Marlon Harewood is still missing with a hamstring injury, as is long-term knee injury victim Billy Clarke, but Israeli centre back Dekel Keinan is a chance to return from an ankle complaint.