Manchester United will entertain Chelsea at Old Trafford in the Premier League at the back of a lacklustre 0-0 draw away to Sevilla in their midweek Champions League first-leg tie. The Red Devils suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Newcastle United at the St. James Park in their last league outing and come into this clash looking to bag all three points in order to consolidate their position in the top four.
They are currently sitting just two points above Liverpool and are in danger of being overtaken by their Merseyside rivals if they fail to secure a victory versus the Blues on the day. Jose Mourinho will look to push his players so that they can return to winning ways with Antonio Conte’s men also in the mix to overtake them with a win on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the visitors will travel to Old Trafford after putting up a spirited performance versus Barcelona in midweek and it remains to be seen whether Conte opts to play a striker after dropping both Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud on Tuesday night. The recent history of the fixture makes a grim reading for the Red Devils as they have only managed to taste victory in one of their previous 14 meetings with the Blues.
Team News
Manchester United
Mourinho’s men will be without the services of Daley Blind, Marouane Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic while Ander Herrera, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo are all major doubts for this game.
Chelsea
Both Tiémoué Bakayoko and Ross Barkley is in a race against time to be fit for selection ahead of Chelsea’s clash at Old Trafford.
Predicted Lineups
Manchester United
De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Young, McTominay, Matic, Pogba, Lingard, Lukaku, Sanchez
Chelsea
Courtois, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Cahill, Moses, Fabregas, Kante, Alonso, Willian, Hazard, Giroud
Key Men
Manchester United
The Red Devils will be hoping that Romelu Lukaku can have a good game up top while Alexis Sanchez will need to up his game at Old Trafford. David De Gea will be an integral member of Jose Mourinho’s side after his man of the match performance in midweek. A lot will also ride on the shoulders of Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba and how they establish themselves at the heart of the United midfield.
Chelsea
Chelsea’s chances of a positive result will hinge on Eden Hazard and Willian while the likes of Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante will need to win the 50-50 battles in midfield to ensure a victory at the expense of the home team.
Betting Odds:
Manchester United win: 13/10
Draw: 9/4
Chelsea win: 11/8
