Ferguson's wine may go to waste

Special to PA SportsTicker

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is at a loss to know what to do with an expensive bottle of red wine which is threatening to go to waste now that Jose Mourinho has left Chelsea.

The issue of wine has been a major talking point between the old Premier League rivals ever since Ferguson encountered Mourinho at Stamford Bridge three years ago to be presented with a barely drinkable offering which was too bad to be believed.

Ferguson never allowed Mourinho to live the blunder down, even though the now former Chelsea chief attempted to make up for the faux-pas by offering the Scot the most expensive bottle of Portuguese wine he could find on their next meeting.

The United chief had already decided what vintage to give Mourinho on Sunday when Chelsea head to Old Trafford.

But somehow, a drink with Avram Grant does not hold the same appeal.

"I just do not know what I am going to do with my wine now," Ferguson said. "Jose leaving Chelsea is a disappointment for the game. He brought something fresh and new and I enjoyed the competition with him. I will miss the personal challenge.

"He enjoyed unparalleled success at Chelsea and it will be a big test for whoever replaces him. At the moment that person is Avram Grant."

Elsewhere in the Premier League, leaders Arsenal takes on struggling Derby. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger believes getting the better of teams battling to climb the standings will be key to his side's chances of mounting a serious title challenge this season.

The Gunners head into Saturday's clash at the Emirates Stadium looking to maintain an impressive start to the new season.

Despite the summer sale of Thierry Henry to Barcelona, Wenger's men have produced consistent displays to win seven of eight matches - including a 3-0 victory over Sevilla in the Champions League earlier this week.

Arsenal currently tops the domestic table, having dropped just two points so far. Even if not at full strength, it is expected to be fronted with little challenge from the Rams, who have yet to score and lost their last away game 6-0 at Liverpool.

However, Wenger has warned against complacency - his team failed to produce the goods in similar matches last season.

"It is a big game, because last season we dropped points against these teams," he said. "This year we want to take points against these teams and this year we have achieved that up to now.

"We want to keep our home strengths and it is a weekend where we can stay in the position where we are in. We do not want to damage that position because you do not have completely the right focus."

Among the other fixtures this weekend, Liverpool hosts Birmingham, Fulham hosts Manchester City, Middlesbrough plays Sunderland in a northeast derby and Reading faces Wigan.

On Sunday, Aston Villa plays Everton, Blackburn hosts Portsmouth, Bolton and Tottenham meet at the Reebok Stadium and Newcastle play West Ham.