(Football news) In what should be an epic battle between two English heavyweights for a possible spot in the Champions League, fifth place Manchester United will take Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with just a point separating the two teams. The Blues drew 0-0 against Brentford in midweek while Manchester United convincingly defeated third place Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in their last match.
Chelsea had a five match winning run prior to their match against Brentford with Kepa Arrizabalaga helping the Blues salvage a draw at the Gtech Community Stadium. Graham Potter’s team are now three points behind third place Tottenham Hotspur but have a game in hand against their London rivals. Chelsea have a particularly good defensive streak, especially at Stamford Bridge, having not conceded a single goal in their last five Premier League games and have only let in two goals in all tournaments since Potter’s appointment.
Moreover, Chelsea haven’t lost a single game at Stamford Bridge all season, winning each of their last three fixtures at home but Manchester United have done well against top 6 opponents this season, having already defeated Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool but those fixtures were at Old Trafford. The only match against a big team that they have lost was a 6-3 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. A victory against Chelsea will mean that Manchester United will replace the Blues in fourth place and are now looking in impressive form, winning four out of their five fixtures in all tournaments.
In team news for Chelsea, Thiago Silva and Hakim Ziyech will be available after making it to the bench against Brentford while Wesley Fofana (knee), Reece James (knee) and N'Golo Kante (thigh) will miss out. Conor Gallagher, who was forced to come off due to an illness has trained normally since Wednesday and should be available while Mateo Kovacic could feature in the starting lineup after an impressive performance. The likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Raheem Sterling should feature in attack at the expense of Armando Broja and Kai Havertz while Ben Chilwell was rested against Brentford and will feature against the Red Devils.
As for Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo has been suspended from the fixture after refusing to come on as a substitute over Tottenham and walking off into the tunnel while the game was being played. In terms of injuries, the likes of Axel Tuanzebe (unspecified), Brandon Williams (unspecified), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (muscle), Harry Maguire (hamstring), Donny van de Beek (muscle) and Anthony Martial (back) are unavailable. Despite Christian Eriksen having recovered from illness, Fred’s magnificent display against Tottenham means that the Brazilian is expected to start alongside Casemiro and McTominay in midfield. A draw seems to be the most likely result from this fixture.
Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo dropped for Manchester United’s visit to Chelsea
