Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes will be out for the rest of the year as he battles a groin injury.
Scholes will join John O'Shea on the sidelines for Sunday's trip to Chelsea andSir Alex Ferguson has said he will be out for at least a fortnight.
"Paul is out on Sunday," he told Key 103. "We are working towards getting him fit for the New Year matches."
Ferguson has stressed the importance of securing a good result against the defending champions but recognises that United have not fared well at Stamford Bridge in recent times.
"It's a big one for us," he said. "Our record down there has been poor over the last eight years. We've managed a few draws, but we've lost a few, too.
"Our record up until then was fantastic - Stamford Bridge was the place we probably had our best record.
"They're a tough team to beat on their own ground - their home record tells you that - but I'm going into the game with a strong, confident squad. You want to go there in good form and we are in good form."
Meanwhile, Ferguson said he wanted to see Anderson improve in front of goal.
Anderson was handed a new four-and-a-half-year contract this week after a recent spell of good form. However, his goal against Valencia in the Champions League this month was only his second for the club since joining from Porto in 2007, and Ferguson wants more from the £17 million signing.
"Anderson could be a top player," he told the club's official website. "He is strong, he can beat a man and has great acceleration from a standing position. He is electric in that sense.
"The area he has to improve is goalscoring. He recognises that and all the players tell him.
"That is his weakness - he doesn't score enough goals - but he is still only 22. He is an emerging player and hopefully in three or four years' time we will be looking back and saying he has given us goals because he has the ability to do it."
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