Van Gaal believes Chelsea win will spark Man Utd's title hopes

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has heaped praise on his side's recent 'sparkling' form, insisting that the Old Trafford club will be back in the title race if they manage to beat defending champions Chelsea in their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

United shrugged off signs of fallibility with convincing back-to-back wins over Derby County in the FA Cup fourth round and Stoke City and the Dutchman said that the club could still claim a 21st championship despite standing 10 points behind surprise leaders Leicester City.

Citing his side's sparkling form during the previous two games, Van Gaal said that a win over Chelsea would put them back in the title race but added that it would be difficult to beat the reigning champions, who haven't lose since Guus Hiddink took over as manager, the Guardian reported.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are 13th in the league table, 16 points off the top four as they will aim to salvage something from what has been a troubled campaign for them.