SAM Allardyce reckons Sir Alex Ferguson will be the manager under most pressure at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester United go into the game as red hot favourites to temporarily restore a nine-point lead over Chelsea at the top of the Premiership table.

But the Wanderers boss reckons the absence of key players allied top the fact that Jose Mourinho's men are refusing to give up the ghost means the burden of expectation will be on Fergie's Reds.

Although they currently hold an impressive six-point lead, United still have to go to Stamford Bridge on April 15 and that in itself leaves them little margin for error.

"I see the race going to the very end," Allardyce said, doggedly refusing to acknowledge United as Premiership champions-elect.

"I think Sir Alex knows he's got to still be six points ahead when they come to play Chelsea."

Typically, Ferguson will leave everyone guessing about his derby line-up until the teamsheets are handed in just before kick-off, but Wanderers expect him to name his strongest available side, even though they will only have a day's rest before they continue their treble bid with an FA Cup quarter-final replay against Middlesbrough on Monday.

"Sir Alex might not admit it himself, but I think his main focus is on winning the Premiership above anything else, even the Champions League," Allardyce added.

"That, in effect, doesn't allow him to think about resting one or two of his players against us, even though he has that big cup replay on Monday.

"The pressure has mounted a little bit because of their injury list. I know they can get goals from all over the place but it could have an effect on them, certainly when they play Chelsea."

Although Wanderers are desperately in need of a confidence boost after taking just eight points from eight games since the turn of the year, Allardyce admits he will be content just to get a performance from his players in what will be his 300th league game as manager of Wanderers.

Anything more than that would, he accepts, be a bonus. Even without the likes of Scholes, Van der Sar, Saha and Silvestre, beating United at Old Trafford, where they have lost only to Arsenal this season, would be a major shock.

"From Manchester United's perspective it might be a good time to be playing them," he agreed, "but we're not having a good time ourselves at the moment. Our form is poor.

"But my hope is that because it's Manchester United at Old Trafford, our players will respond to it being a big game.

"I want them back to a level of performance I know they can deliver. That has been missing for most of 2007, sadly. But we have to get back on track.

"We may not win but I still want to get a performance.

"Losing to Manchester United doesn't effect me as much as losing to Sheffield United (Wanderers' next opponents) or any of the bottom eight. If that happens, I get very, very angry indeed with my players.

"If you lose to Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool, you say fair enough, we're not supposed to beat them anyway' - even so, we've beaten Arsenal again this season, and Liverpool.

"Winning one is a big scalp, two is a real bonus."