Manchester United head to Stamford in the midst of a crisis and with Jose Mourinho battling to save his job.
United are eighth after eight games having only won four, including the dramatic 3-2 comeback after Newcastle in their last match.
Defeat to Chelsea would extend the gap to the top to 10 points and end any hopes of the title this season despite only being two months in.
And Nevin, a former Chelsea winger, thinks Mourinho will go back to basics to try and grind out a result against Maurizio Sarri’s side who are among the pacesetters at the top of the league.
“I think United will almost certainly use their power and physique, possibly more than any other time under the leadership of the current manager,” Nevin wrote in his column for the Chelsea website.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
“That is not to deride this tactic, in their position I would be sorely tempted to do exactly the same thing.
“Looking at Chelsea so far this season and the style imposed by Maurizio Sarri, does it really seem like a sensible plan to try to out-pass the Blues? Obviously not, so expect the big physical guns to be deployed against us, especially from set-pieces.
“There are many other dangers in that United side but I think this is the obvious area to attack us and something we will have to find an answer to.
“That used to mean asking our goalkeeper to come out and dominate the 18-yard area for all crosses but this isn’t always possible if the quality is good enough with the delivery.”
And Nevin thinks Mourinho is likely to look at what Liverpool did to try and stifle Jorginho, while also making special arrangements to stop Eden Hazard.
Nevin added: “Maybe the most interesting thing for me, apart from how United will try to stop Jorginho controlling the game and Eden Hazard causing them mayhem obviously, is how Maurizio will adapt to make sure these two players are still pivotal.
“Liverpool tried to stop Jorginho by dropping Roberto Firmino into his area and then rushing our playmaker from all sides with Jordan Henderson to the fore. It didn’t work because he still found a way to obtain space and influence the game as much as anyone. Yes he was top passer again that day.
“Both coaches have had a couple of weeks to think about precisely these areas and I do not doubt we will see some interesting tweaks by two of the best thinkers in the modern game.
“The joy is that they will both be thinking in different ways and that is why this will be one of the most intriguing games of the season.
“Even in comparison to the game the other week between Liverpool and Man City where their similarities cancelled each other out, happily that will not happen this time and as such it should live up to the hype.”