Fergie predicts plenty of goals

Published May. 20, 2011 3:15 p.m. ET

foxsports

Before the Red Devils are handed their record 19th title, a nervous game of survival will take place at four top-flight grounds across the country. Blackpool find themselves in the onerous position of becoming the first team to win at Old Trafford this season, and only the second to take any points, if they are to stand the best possible chance of staying in the top flight. And even though he is not directly affected, Ferguson is not relishing the experience. "This game on Sunday is not the kind of game you actually enjoy," he said. "You are talking about one point separating five teams. "It is very tight down there and you could sense what was coming with the way the league was shaping. "Losing a couple of games can put you right back in the mire and Sunday is going to be a very important day for the futures of these clubs, which means it is not the easiest game for me to pick a team in." In confirming at least half a dozen senior figures within his squad will start, Ferguson is ensuring his impartiality is not brought into question. Among the six men he named are Edwin van der Sar, who will make his final Premier League appearance, Dimitar Berbatov, who is engaged in a head-to-head duel with Carlos Tevez for the Premier League's Golden Boot prize, and Darren Fletcher, who desperately needs competitive action to stake a claim for a place in Ferguson's Champions League final line-up. "If you lose a game and it affects other teams, you should be put under scrutiny," said Ferguson. "At Hull we played all the young players but won 1-0. There was no reason to criticise the selection that time. "When we played West Ham, Neil Warnock, for some reason, found it easy to criticise us. "It was a bit unfair of Neil Warnock to do that. All Sheffield United needed was a draw on their own ground. And if he watched our match, we battered West Ham. "The criticism can only be valid if you lose. On this occasion it will be the same again." Ferguson knows it will be a tough game against Blackpool this weekend - he will not forget their 3-2 win at Bloomfield Road in a hurry. "We dug it out at Blackpool," said Ferguson. "Set pieces did for us that day. Charlie Adam was hitting rockets into our box. "We are well aware of their capabilities. They try to score goals and have a great adventure about them. "That will be the case on Sunday. "I am sure they will have a go and there could be a lot of goals."