With Chelsea sitting happily at the top of the table and cruising past Bordeaux midweek, the psychological advantage is with the London side.
United have only managed four points from three games and had to settle for a goalless draw in their Champions League opener against Villareal. Manchester United welcomed Cristiano Ronaldo back from injury last night following a summer-long wrangle over the winger's future but Lampard is not worried about the damage he may cause. "He's obviously the best player in the world having done what he did last year. But we can deal with Manchester United at their strongest," the midfielder said.
Indeed Chesea too have been spurred by the Football Association's decision to overturn John Terry's red card against Manchester City. "Of course it's important that we have John Terry available for United. "If you have a leader like this, it's always important that he stays on the pitch. "We were happy when we heard the news. It's never easy, such a decision, but I think if you see the pictures on television you could see that maybe it was not a red card." Lampard also knows how important it was for Chelsea to maintain their current position in the table despite the season being just a month in. "This is the sort of game that everyone gets up for, and we'll be going full pelt to put a bit of daylight between us. We know there's a long way to go whatever happens but, over the next month, it's important not to fall too far behind. You just want to keep your noses in font of the pack. "That gives you the confidence and that bit of an edge."
Chelsea are sure to have learnt from last season when they were trying to close the gap on United. Recently recovered from a foot injury, Michael Ballack said: "It's not easy if you're always behind and you have to close gaps. "The way it went we would always play one day later than United. It was not an easy situation but we dealt with it and maybe we could do the same to them this year. "That's why it's important that we win on Sunday. We have to repeat what we did towards the end of last season when we beat them 2-1. That is our target."
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