Sir Alex Ferguson awoke yesterday to headlines declaring that he plans to retire at the end of next season but, for now, he is concerned only with leading Manchester United into a week that will entail a trip to Barcelona for the Champions League semi-final, first leg on Wednesday and culminate, he hopes, with a victory away to Chelsea that would all but guarantee a second successive Barclays Premier League title.

A late goal from Carlos Tévez earned United a precious point away to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday evening, meaning that Ferguson’s team, who have a vastly superior goal difference, will effectively be crowned champions on Saturday if they can extend their lead over Chelsea to six points by winning at Stamford Bridge. The immediate focus is on Barcelona, who stand between United and their first Champions League final since 1999, but, irrespective of what the game at the Nou Camp might take out of his team, Ferguson believes they can win the title by denting Chelsea’s formidable record at Stamford Bridge.

Although they lost a penalty shoot-out in a Carling Cup tie against Charlton Athletic in October 2005, Chelsea have been unbeaten in 100 domestic matches at Stamford Bridge since a 2-1 defeat by Arsenal under Claudio Ranieri in February 2004. Far from daunted by that record, though, Ferguson feels it is ready to be broken.

“We have got to think of winning at Chelsea,” the United manager said. “I know they haven’t lost at Stamford Bridge for 100 games, but football is like that. Records are there to be broken and we will be going down there with a positive attitude to try and win the match.”

United are likely to take a similar approach to the Nou Camp, but Ferguson is acutely aware that several of his players are carrying injuries at the start of a crucial week. While he is confident that Edwin van der Sar, who missed Saturday’s game against Blackburn with a groin problem, and Wayne Rooney, who suffered a hip injury in the second half, will be fit, Anderson and Owen Hargreaves will need to prove their fitness today if they are to be on the flight to Barcelona tomorrow morning. Hargreaves, who missed several training sessions last week with a hamstring problem, is a particular concern.

Mark Hughes, the Blackburn manager, represented Barcelona and Chelsea, as well as United, in his illustrious playing career, but he believes that Ferguson’s team have the ability to emerge victorious from their assignments over the next week or so.

“United have a special talent,” he said. “They’re very together and this year they will feel they have a great opportunity, whereas Barcelona maybe have a few problems. Lionel Messi could be the one player who makes the difference for them, but collectively I’m not sure if they’re as good as United. United haven’t got many weaknesses.

“I am an ex-Chelsea player and I was a Chelsea fan as a kid, and I also have fantastic feelings for United. It’s fantastic for everybody involved at both clubs that they could end up with both trophies or nothing. I can’t wait to see the games coming up.”

Nor can Ferguson. Reports yesterday suggested that the United manager has told friends that he plans to retire at the end of next season, but, while such an outcome is feasible, Old Trafford officials believe that the 66-year-old has no firm plans in place at present. There is a school of thought that says he could make a sudden decision to bow out at the top if United win the Champions League this season, but those close to him expect him to stay on for at least another season regardless of what happens over the coming weeks.

More than 50 supporters were arrested before and after United’s match at Ewood Park. Lancashire Constabulary said that most of those were United supporters, arrested over a number of separate incidents in and around the stadium. Match report, pages 10-11