Chelsea are all set to host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, marking the highly-talked about return of Jose Mourinho back to his former club. Certain things were left unsaid between the manager and Chelsea, and his departure could’ve been a bit smoother. However, since then, a lot has changed. Mourinho has claimed that managing Manchester United is his “dream job”, while Chelsea’s new manager Antonio Conte has been doing wonders for the team. This match will indeed be a cracker, given the amount of passion and tactical genius that both managers display.
MANCHESTER UNITED (Manager – Jose Mourinho)
Manchester United are having a lukewarm campaign so far. They started on a high, but then lost a couple of matches. Their last game was against Liverpool, which had high expectations, but ended in a goal-less draw. Despite that, fans and critics alike believe that they played a very tactical game wherein they managed to limit Liverpool to zero goals, considering Liverpool’s recent form.
The Red Devils will be without Phil Jones and Morgan Schneiderlin as they’re both struggling with fitness. On the other hand, the controversial move to make Schweinsteiger train with the youth team continues. It was indeed a decision that shocked the football fraternity since it’s very rare to find a player as experienced as him, being reduced to undergoing training sessions with the youth team.
Player to watch out for: David De Gea
David De Gea continues to produce stellar performances for the Red Devils. A recent example of his talent was showcased against Liverpool, which led to Liverpool manager Juurgen Klopp jokingly remarking that the Spaniard performs best against Liverpool.
During the Liverpool game, De Gea made two stunning saves to prevent Emre Can and Philippe Coutinho from scoring goals. He has denied the best of strikers from scoring against Manchester United. In fact, he is known to raise to the top on several occasions wherein the team needed him the most.
Certain pundits even compare him to goalkeeping greats such as Manuel Neuer and Buffon.
Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Valencia, Bailly, Blind, Shaw; Fellaini, Pogba; Martial, Mata, Rashford; Ibrahimovic
CHELSEA (Manager – Antonio Conte)
As far as Chelsea goes, Antonio Conte has made several changes to the team since he took over from Mourinho. All his changes and tactics seem to be paying off since the Blues have enjoyed comfortable wins in their last two games. What seems to be helping them the most is Conte’s three-defender formation. Prior to Conte’s arrival, a lot was said about whether or not his favoured 3-5-2 formation would work at Chelsea, and remarkably, the Italian has found a way to make the best of it by modifying it to a 3-4-3.
The Blues have a brilliant record against Manchester United at home, and they will be looking to take full advantage of the same.
The squad will mostly remain unchanged. Kurt Zouma and Van Ginkel are the only injury concerns for Chelsea. Meanwhile, Willian and Terry are likely to play in this game.
Player to watch out for: N’golo Kante
N’golo Kante has worked wonders for Leicester City last season. The defending champions relied majorly on the midfielder and he did deliver in every single match. He is settling in for Chelsea now, and Mourinho will need to seriously chalk out a way to contain Kante. His ability to surge forward and play a through-pass is a real danger.
Manchester United’s defenders will have their hands full with Chelsea’s wing-backs. Also, the Herrera-Fellaini partnership will be focusing mainly on limiting Chelsea’s key strikers. Thus, Kante can capitalize hugely on this and get more time on the ball than what Mourinho would prefer.
Kante is also known to launch sudden attacks, wherein he would dribble into space for a while, and then attempt a clever shot or pass out of nowhere. It is because of these reasons that Mourinho will actually need to find a solution for the Frenchman.
Predicted line-up (3-4-3): Courtois; Cahill, Terry, Luiz; Azpilicueta, Matic, Kante, Alonso; Willian, Costa, Hazard
PREDICTION
Chelsea and Manchester United are both defensively strong, which might lead to another draw. Also, both teams have dependable and strong goalkeepers on their side. Although a draw is most likely, Chelsea could manage to win this one since they’ll have the home advantage, and Manchester United’s poor record at Stamford Bridge isn’t too reassuring for the Red Devils either. Hence, a 1-0 victory for Chelsea is most likely.
Other matches to look out for:
Arsenal vs Middlesbrough – Saturday at 7.30pm
Liverpool vs West Brom – Saturday at 10pm
Manchester City vs Southampton – Sunday at 6pm