NEMANJA Vidic will return for Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson's men look to complete a 10th Premier League title win and 17th overall by beating Wigan.
Vidic has not featured since suffering concussion in the defeat at closest challengers Chelsea last month but has been cleared by United's medical staff.
Wayne Rooney may be on the bench after a recurrence of his hip problem in the same game, while Nani is suspended after being sent off against West Ham last weekend.
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Meanwhile, Darren Fletcher insists United must retain their league crown if they are to be considered one of the greatest sides in the club's history.
With Chelsea level on points going into the final game of the season, Avram Grant's men can still pip United at the post.
Fletcher says only back-to-back titles will enable the current squad to compare itself with Ferguson's other great sides from 1994, `96 and `99.
"The ethos of this club is once you've got one, can you defend it?" he said.
"For a lot of us last year was our first title and there was a lot said about that.
"But once you get it you learn from it and get the experience. Can you reclaim it? There is always a new challenge. That's why the manager, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville have been so successful.
Improvement
"They achieve something, enjoy it and then think about how they can improve and retain it.
"You have to improve to retain it. That's why the manager made the summer signings, bringing in Owen Hargreaves, Carlos Tevez, Anderson and Nani.
"We knew we came up short of numbers last year and it might have been the same this year so he wanted a full squad."
United's assault on the Premier League and Champions League this season led Ferguson to hail the current squad his strongest ever.
But a late-season dip in form, which saw them draw at Middlesbrough and Blackburn and lose at Chelsea has seen the title race go down to the wire.
Should United win at Wigan and Chelsea beat Bolton at Stamford Bridge. the title would be decided by goal difference.
United are 17 goals better off than Grant's side, meaning it would take an incredible turn of events to prevent the trophy heading back to Old Trafford.
To the purists, victory under such circumstances would be a fitting endorsement of United's attacking philosophy as opposed to the more negative tactics deployed by Chelsea.
And while Fletcher would rather play United's brand of high-octane football, he refuses to criticise Chelsea's style.
"It's in our club's history," he said. "It's attacking football all the way at United.
"I remember Bobby Charlton speaking to us around the time of the Munich disaster anniversary. He said the special thing about this club, and what he loves so much, is the way Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson have continued that ethos of attacking football. Winning the way football should be played.
"But I can understand it from the other side because I play for Scotland and it's backs to the walls.
Enjoyment
"We defend for 90 minutes and you get the same enjoyment out of winning that way as you do winning the United way.
"It's all about winning. At United we've got the players to do it that way, but we've also been so resilient this year that the success of the team and of Cristiano Ronaldo has been built from the back.
"The defence and midfield have performed and that's been the foundations of the season."
United will be hoping to maintain an outstanding record in final-day fixtures when they make the short journey to Wigan on Sunday.
Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, they have lost only two games on the final day of the campaign, to Tottenham in 2001 and to West Ham last season.
With that record in mind, it is understandable that Neil Warnock should have been so incensed by their 1-0 defeat to West Ham last term - a result which led to Sheffield United being relegated.
Only on three previous occasions have United had to contest the Premier League title on the final day.
A 1-1 draw at West Ham in 1995 saw Blackburn pip them to the post despite losing at Liverpool, while a 3-0 victory against Middlesbrough in 1996 saw them reclaim the title ahead of Newcastle.
In 1999 they came from a goal down against Tottenham to win 3-1 and set them up for the treble.
Republic of Ireland midfielder Kevin Kilbane will sit out Sunday's game.
With the club’s status assured, Kilbane has been told to rest up by manager Steve Bruce after struggling with a back problem in recent weeks.
Mario Melchiot and Erik Edman remain sidelined through injury as Wigan look to extend their unbeaten run to six games and deny Bruce’s former club the title.
Wigan Athletic (from): Kirkland, Taylor, Scharner, Boyce, Valencia, Brown, Palacios, Koumas, Bent, Heskey, King, Sibierski, Skoko, Pollitt, Bramble, Figueroa, Hagen, Aghahowa, Olembe.
Manchester United (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Foster, Neville, Hargreaves, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Pique, O'Shea, Evra, Silvestre, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes, Anderson, Giggs, Park, Tevez, Rooney.
Last season: Wigan 1 United 3
Key opponent: Chris Kirkland - Latics keeper is capable of excellence and probably the only man who could thwart the Reds
Prediction: Wigan 0 United 2 - An early goal is key to settling nerves, but if they get one it should be comfortable
Agree with the prediction? Have your say.
You can get 11/2 on United winning 2-0 with Betfred. For this and more odds, click
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Showing comments 1 to 23 and replies | View All
Demo, Glossop (09/05/2008 at 12:24)
i can see kirkland pulling off some decent saves but hopefully we will be too much for wigan and win by 2 or 3 goals!
edinburgh red, edinburgh (09/05/2008 at 12:57)
Roy (09/05/2008 at 13:14)
I hope you have a great Sunday evening, Demo.
Maynard Kitchener Lampwick, Manchester (09/05/2008 at 13:30)
ROC, NYC (09/05/2008 at 13:53)
Will be interesting to see the line up SAF puts out. Will go with VDS, WB, RF, NV, PE in the back. I think experience is everything in this type of game so I am going with Scholes, Carrick and Hargreaves and Park in a 4-4-2. Hargreaves out wide right and ronaldo and tevez up front. Hopefuuly ronney makes bench along with giggs, anderson so we have some attacking players to come on if we need it.
Come on you reds.......
ROC
Red Dawn (09/05/2008 at 13:56)
The outstanding Titus Bramble will return (hopefully), which should have Tevez and Co shaking in their boots.
Bruce and players have to talk it up like this game means something to them, but I can tell you, as the players have nothing to play for, they are going to find it extremely hard to get themselves up for it.
Man Utd on the other hand know a win secures the Premiership, so they'll be fully fired up.
I can't see any other result be a United win on Sunday.
Lets play 4-3-3 and cut their defence wide open.
shola-shoneils, Finland (09/05/2008 at 13:58)
Theres no stopping us. Its all over for chelski. Thankfully we aint playing chelski, its Wigan. wowwwww!!!
Last, u guys should have as much faith in SAF. Hes done it before and will definitely do it again.
United rules!!!
edinburgh red, edinburgh (09/05/2008 at 14:56)
Gerry, Glastonbury (09/05/2008 at 15:50)
The thought of handing the title back to Chelsea doesn't bear thinking about - where's that rope!!!
If Wigan are as committed as the Barcodes were last Sunday then we're in for a tough game.
Still, we're well rested and we've a good break before the big one.
It should be all guns a blazing and far too strong for the Latics but nothing's a certainty these days where's some more rope!!!
REDSEADOG, lovely thank's (09/05/2008 at 16:49)
Chavski will struggle against bolton who are up for it.
horace, Salford (09/05/2008 at 16:59)
Red Dawn (09/05/2008 at 18:53)
Well, if you stop to think about it for a moment, it's obvious really.
Good timing by Fergie to come out with that one, but very few people seem to have put two and two together, hence it having no impact.
Demo, Glossop (09/05/2008 at 19:49)
roll on sunday. Its very exciting to be heading into final game, leading by goal difference
Red 67, SWEDEN (09/05/2008 at 23:13)
keithmat (10/05/2008 at 00:12)
Alias Smith, over the moon (10/05/2008 at 00:17)
Eriksenn (10/05/2008 at 12:05)
Masta, London (10/05/2008 at 14:45)
Wigan form reads WDDDW. I expect a D, and if Rio plays to form (trying to showboat in defence) Wigan will sneak a goal.
Redtothebones, Mauritius (10/05/2008 at 17:45)
The worst scenario would be Chelsea leading whilst Utd are still drawing.
I am confident Utd will do it in the end but I hope to have to have an easier time than I had for the 2nd Barca game.
Riquelminho (10/05/2008 at 18:09)
Predicted line up:
VDS
Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra
Park, Hargreaves, Anderson, Giggs
Ronaldo, Tevez
Predicted outcome: 4-0
People have been overhyping this week but I expect us to sail through it (FGS its only Wigan, we've not dropped a single point against them since they entered the Premiership.)
Gerry, Glastonbury (10/05/2008 at 21:54)
Park to play wide for certain and Hargreaves ahead of Anderson, who can come on later for a little cameo. I'd be much happier if The Roon could play for an hour but Ron, Tevez, Park, Giggs & Scholes a bit further forward should be enough.
Guys - I prey we're all celebrating this time tomorrow. I just can't wait!
jazza13, Auckland, New Zealand (11/05/2008 at 11:45)
the king, aberdeen (11/05/2008 at 14:24)