Jose Mourinho was in a bullish mood on Friday.Speaking to the media ahead of Chelsea's trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United this weekend, his message was a clear one: Injuries or not, his team is expecting to come away with three points."On Sunday we go to win. If you give me one point nowand we dont play the gameI will not accept it. I want to fight for the three points," stated Mourinho, per ChelseaFC.com.And why shouldn't he'Chelsea's preparations for this game have hardly been ideal. Diego Costa's injury problems haven't been alleviated and Loic Remy's groin strain suffered midweek against Maribor leaves just Didier Drogba as the only proven striker who is fit.Even still, there are question marks over whether he can last a full 90 minutes.What Chelsea have, though, is momentum, and with that comes confidencethe confidence they have what it takes to overcome a United team that has struggled since Louis van Gaal took over in the summer.Right now, we're not too sure which United will turn up on Sunday. Will it be the team that thrashed QPR 4-0 earlier this season, or the one that threw away a two-goal lead against newly-promoted Leicester City, losing 5-3'As they like to say in the north of England when teams from London visit, "they don't like it up 'em, this lot." Right now, it's something that applies to Van Gaal's side.The Leicester defeat proved that, and their performances this term have shown it was far from a blip.Mourinho and his players know, fit striker or not, if they get at United in similar fashion, the frailties are such that they will succumb at some point.It's not a question of if Chelsea can do it, either; Mourinho knows he has the personnel to not only front it with United in the way Leicester did, they can outplay them, too.Indeed, they've done it to every team they have played this season.Form isn't something teams can switch off and on. It comes from an understanding between players, the manager's system and, above all else, confidenceof which Chelsea have in abundance.Whereas United continue to scrap around for an identity and an effective style of play, Chelsea are a year ahead of them in that process.When Mourinho took his team to Old Trafford for last season's goalless draw, it was a cagey affair. He was still experimenting, testing new things to get the best out of his side.Van Gaal is at that same stage now, hence the inconsistency we've seen. Exciting one week, United have blown up the next, and it's a pattern that is going to define their campaign.If they can come out the other side of it all in the top four, it will have been a good campaign.Heavy recruitment means there's an imbalance in the United dressing room.When the names Falcao, Robin van Persie and Angel Di Maria are mentioned, it's enough to make most teams panic about their attacking threat. Look at the defence and it's the oppositesuddenly teams are confident of traveling to Old Trafford and getting something these days.With Cesc Fabregas in midfield, Chelsea are controlling games much more. They are balanced, and in Hazard and Oscar they have two players in peak form.United's midfield diamond isn't refined enough to combat Chelsea's five, where Nemanja Matic makes that middle third his own, leaving others to cause the damage further forward."We are playing well, we are confident, we are top of the league and we are in a good position to qualify in the Champions League," Mourinho added."The camp is happy and we are ready for the game."Don't be fooled by the reputation the name Manchester United brings. Chelsea are everything they aren't right now and this fixture shouldn't come with the same billing as years past.The dearth in quality is clear: a 10-point gap in the table already, a plus-12 better goal difference, free-flowing football against reactive tactics.They'll have a home crowd behind them, but United will be second best in every other area come Sunday.Has this fixture ever been so heavily weighted in Chelsea's favour'Mourinho's performance in Friday's press conference sent that message to his players and we can expect them to deliver.Vote for Garry Hayes as the best established football writer in the 2014 Football Blogging Awards: http://bit.ly/VoteGDHGarry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayesRead more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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