Chelsea v Manchester United: Match preview
A few familiar faces will return to Stamford Bridge this weekend as Chelsea host Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.
Ex-Blues boss Jose Mourinho has been under pressure as of late due to some pretty poor performances and results from his team, but he’ll be hoping that the come-from-behind win over Newcastle United is the catalyst for an upturn in performances for United.
Mourinho will bring a few ex-Chelsea stars with him to Stamford Bridge as Romelu Lukaku looks certain to start the game, whilst Juan Mata will at least be on the bench, if not in the starting XI.
Another ex-Blue, Nemanja Matic, looks like he will miss the game with an injury, which will be a boost for the current Chelsea midfield.
Chelsea go into the game sat in second place, level on points with both Manchester City and Liverpool, whilst United’s poor start sees them go into the match in eighth place, level on points with Watford.
As such, Premier League odds show that Chelsea are the firm favourites for the game and if they do secure a victory or even a draw, they will move into first place, at least for a few hours.
Chelsea were in very good form before the international break and Maurizio Sarri will be hoping that his players have not lost any form or rhythm whilst they’ve been away with their national sides.
United have shown a tendency to man-mark Eden Hazard in past meetings between the two sides, so it will be interesting to see if Mourinho employs that tactic again, and if he does, who he selects to do that particular job.
Hazard has already been voted as the best player in the country once before, back in 2016, and he’s the favourite to win the PFA Player of the Year award once again and he will be the man to watch on Saturday afternoon.