The highlight of this weekend’s bunch of Premier League fixtures takes place on Sunday when league leaders Chelsea host struggling Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are rampant and have been in sensational form since the beginning of the season, winning nine out of 12 Premier League games to date. They thrashed Leicester City 3-0 away from home last weekend before outclassing Juventus 4-0 in a Champions League group-stage game on Tuesday.
While the West Londoners will head into this fixture as favourites, Thomas Tuchel will be wary of Manchester United even though the visitors are lacking in recent form.
Chelsea Team News
Ben Chilwell has been ruled out until at least the end of the year due to a partial ACL injury sustained against Juventus in midweek. Mateo Kovacic remains out and N’Golo Kante is a major doubt having been forced off before half-time in the 4-0 win over Juventus.
Romelu Lukaku, while already back from injury and available to play, most likely will start the game against Man United on the bench, as Tuchel feels the big Belgian isn’t yet ready to start.
Meanwhile, Kai Havertz has been passed fit to play on Sunday after he was not risked against Juventus following a minor hamstring problem sustained at Leicester City last weekend.
Predicted Chelsea Lineup vs Manchester United (3-4-2-1)
Goalkeeper
Edouard Mendy has been terrific for Chelsea, conceding only four goals in 11 league games. He’ll be keen to extend his present tally of seven clean sheets on Sunday.
Defence
Chelsea have been rock-solid and fantastically organised at the back. The centre-backs along with the wing-backs have been crucial to the Blues’ success.
Tuchel is likely to start Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen in the three-man backline against Manchester United, with the latter coming into the starting XI for academy starlet Trevoh Chalobah. Injury to Ben Chilwell means Marcos Alonso walks in at left wing-back with the in-form Reece James a sure-shot starter at right wing-back.
Midfield
As Mateo Kovacic is still out and N’Golo Kante suffered a twisted knee against Juventus, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to start in midfield alongside Jorginho. Loftus-Cheek and Jorginho will look to help the Blues dominate possession and control the tempo of the game against the Red Devils.
Attack
Mason Mount’s creativity and movement will be crucial in unlocking the Man United defence. He has the ability to pull the strings by dropping a bit deep in midfield. With his passing qualities, the England international can spot the runs of the speedy Callum Hudson-Odoi in dangerous areas of the final third.
With Romelu Lukaku not yet ready to start a game for Chelsea, Kai Havertz is set to continue operating as a false 9. The German is a clever player and could cause headaches to a leaky Man United backline.
