MANCHESTER UNITED vs CHELSEA – PREMIER LEAGUE LIVE!
- Manchester United can win three consecutive top-flight home games against Chelsea for the first time since 1957
- United have lost seven of their past nine competitive games for the first time since September to October 1962
- Manchester United have played 527 minutes in all competitions since their last goal from open play
- Chelsea have lost six of their seven Premier League fixtures away to sides in the top half of the table this season
Manchester United XI: de Gea, Young, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw, Ander Herrera, Matic, Pogba, Mata, Lukaku, Rashford
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Willian, Higuain, Hazard
Twitter round-up
Gary: Our biggest game of the season and Maurizio Sarri plays the ineffective and hopeless Matteo Kovacic… I could bet my life he won’t score or assist today just like all season!
Andre: Ashley Young walks into the starting XI once again after being total s*** for weeks now. David De Gea will be at the mercy of the Chelsea attackers.
Paul: Fully expecting Eden Hazard to have one of his handful games where’s he’s a worldy and United chase him around the pitch!
Big changes
16:15: Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes FIVE changes to the team that lost the Manchester derby in midweek.
There was a rare, and slightly random, start for Eric Bailly in defence, while Ander Herrera returned from a hamstring injury and Juan Mata, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic also feature.
Chris Smalling, Jesse Lingard and Fred were all absent from the matchday squad.
Antonio Rudiger and N’Golo Kante are both fit to start in a Chelsea side featuring four changes from their draw with Burnley.
Marcos Alonso, Mateo Kovacic and Willian also come in.
Starting XI…
16:10: And here are the line-ups. I was busy covering the intense yet somehow dull clash between Manchester City and Burnley, where Sergio Aguero’s winner was 29.5mm over the line. Insert ‘fine margins’ cliche here…
Manchester United XI: de Gea, Young, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw, Ander Herrera, Matic, Pogba, Mata, Lukaku, Rashford.
Subs: Sanchez, Martial, Andreas Pereira, Rojo, Romero, Darmian, McTominay.
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Willian, Higuain, Hazard.
Subs: Barkley, Pedro, Loftus-Cheek, Caballero, Giroud, Zappacosta, Christensen.
Afternoon
16:05: Hello everyone and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the Premier League.
Tottenham lose, Arsenal lose and now it’s time for either Manchester United to capitalise in their stuttering quest for a top-four finish.
With the honeymoon period well and truly over, United’s new boss will be itching for any kind of victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford.
A win would prove a huge shot in the arm in their Champions League qualification bid. But more than that, a victory now would quell some of the growing talk against the Norwegian, whose side have lost seven of their last nine games in all competitions.
Already there are questions as to whether United made a mistake in handing him the permanent job. Solskjaer continues too to insist Paul Pogba will be a United player next term, and a happy one at that, amid plenty of conjecture the Frenchman still wants out in the summer.
The deeper problems will take longer to soothe, but a sticking-plaster victory this weekend would at least tend to the wound.
MANCHESTER UNITED vs CHELSEA – TEAM NEWS
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger should shake off his knee injury in time. N’Golo Kante remains a doubt due to a rib injury suffered in Monday’s 2-2 draw with Burnley, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is a long-term absentee after Achilles surgery.
Ander Herrera could return for Manchester United after missing the last six games with a hamstring injury. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed goalkeeper David De Gea will keep his place despite poor recent form. Midfielder Scott McTominay missed Wednesday’s derby defeat after failing a fitness test and is again a doubt along with defender Phil Jones.
Last season: Man Utd 2 Chelsea 1, Chelsea 1 Man Utd 0
Last five league matches: Man Utd W L W L L; Chelsea W W W L D
Top scorers (all competitions): Paul Pogba (Man Utd) 16; Eden Hazard (Chelsea) 19
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)