Mourinho Hopes Rooney & Van Persie Play Against Chelsea

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho hopes Manchester United's top scorers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are fit to face his side on Sunday.

Rooney, 28, injured his groin on New Year's Day, while Van Persie, 30, has missed nine games with a thigh injury.

"The best thing is to play against the best players, the concentration and motivation is bigger, so I hope they are there," said Mourinho.

The Portuguese added he is "not desperate" to win the title this year.

Van Persie, 30, last played in the 1-0 Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on 10 December.

United won their first five games in a row in his absence - as part of a six-match victory streak - but have lost two of three games Rooney has missed.

David Moyes's side, who sit seventh in the Premier League, trail third-placed Chelsea by nine points ahead of their meeting at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have only conceded one goal on their way to winning five games in a row, a run of form which has moved them to within two points of leaders Arsenal.

"We are not desperate to win the title, I keep saying the same," added Mourinho, who confirmed new signing Nemanja Matic will not start against United.

"We want to build a team for the future, find a transition between the Chelsea of the last decade and Chelsea of the next decade. We want stability and not to lose our winning DNA, so we are doing both things at the same time, but we will try to fight for the title until the end.

"I think Arsenal have done the same profile of work as we are doing now for the last eight years - they have built a team."

United finished 14 points clear of Chelsea as they secured their 20th league title in May, but manager Moyes has faced criticism after suffering six league defeats this season.

Mourinho believes the slide cannot be attributed to Sir Alex Ferguson's successor at Old Trafford, with injuries and players losing form instead key to shortcomings.

"I have no reason to have sympathy for Moyes," added Mourinho, a two-time Premier League winner during his previous spell at Stamford Bridge.

"I don't think there is a reason for him to be trouble. He has a fantastic job and is very stable.

"The club gave him fantastic trust, it's a club with a fantastic culture who believe in the manager. He will at least have the time of his contract to build a team and reach success for many years."