There were signs at Goodison Park on Thursday evening that the pressure of the title race was starting to take its toll on Avram Grant, the Chelsea first-team coach, but there appears to be no danger of Sir Alex Ferguson cracking under the strain.

While Grant is venturing into uncharted territory, Ferguson has been in this situation countless times and the Manchester United manager cut a supremely relaxed figure yesterday when he looked ahead to a week that promises to shape his team's season.

Victory away to Blackburn Rovers this evening would bring a tenth Barclays Premier League title firmly into sight before the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Wednesday and a trip to Stamford Bridge three days later, when United could retain their crown.

In previous seasons, Ferguson might have seized upon the apparent moment of weakness displayed by Grant during a bizarre press briefing after Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Everton, but it is a reflection of the confidence of the United manager that he dismissed out of hand all talk of the Israeli.

There have been slip-ups in the past, notably in May 1995 when a 1-1 draw away to West Ham United handed the title to Blackburn, despite the Lancashire club's 2-1 defeat by Liverpool, but Ferguson's manner yesterday was that of a man who has “been there and done that”.

He said: “It's a massive game against Blackburn, but I have been dealing with massive games all my life. This one will not be making me lose any sleep.

“I am not saying it gets easier over the years, but you do get accustomed to this stage of the season and what exactly it is like. There has been a lot of drama over the years and there has been a lot of drama this time, too. That is when you call on your experience and I have knocked on that door 100 times and so have some of my players.

“On occasions, we have had great ends to the season. Other times we have not and we have ended up with a bitter taste in our mouth, like at West Ham when we should have scored six but we didn't and lost the league. The important thing is that we are relaxed - the players are and so am I.”

Ferguson claimed that he “may be worried” if he did not have the players he does at his disposal, with three all but committing their long-term futures to the club this week. Rio Ferdinand, the England defender, has agreed in principle to a five-year contract worth £120,000 a week, while Michael Carrick and Wes Brown, who was involved in a six-month stand-off, will put pen to paper on new four-year deals.

Ferguson expressed delight at the news, saying it “gives us continuity”, and suggested that there may be “a couple” of new arrivals in the summer. Of more immediate concern, however, is Blackburn.

With Barcelona looming, Ferguson could be forgiven for resting one or two players, but the United manager is adamant that the game against the Catalan giants is “not on my mind” and “will take care of itself”.

“We are going for the league title, so there is no danger we will be worrying or thinking about anything else this weekend,” Ferguson said. “One of my challenges at this stage is picking the right team. A lot of people thought I was out of my mind with the team I picked [in the 2-1 win against Arsenal] last week, but it worked.”