Preview – Chelsea vs Manchester United

Bouncing back. It’s something that Manchester United have always been naturals at, this season more than ever. Following the defeat to Tottenham in late September, United have won four out of four and confidence is high again.

Coming this Sunday, however, is the biggest challenge so far; Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The European champions are in fine form themselves. They are top of the table with a four point lead over United and City. New arrival Eden Hazard and Spanish star Juan Mata have been setting the Premier League on fire with their fast, flowing play going forward. The talented duo have made Chelsea perhaps the best attacking side in the league so far, and one thing is for certain – United will do well to keep them at bay for 90 minutes.

It was another dismal defensive display from United in midweek against Braga, a game which saw us go two down early on. The unlikely pairing of rising star Jonny Evans and midfielder come centre-back Michael Carrick were troubled throughout. It is a partnership that is not thought to be in contention on Sunday, as Rio Ferdinand is widely expected to return at the heart of the United defence.

Another returnee comes in the form of veteran left-back Patrice Evra, who was also rested on Tuesday night. Chris Smalling is also an outsider to feature after returning to full training this week following a broken foot. It has not all been good news on the injury front this week however, as it was confirmed that Shinji Kagawa will be out for three to four weeks with a knee injury. This of course leaves him out of the clash, meaning that it is likely that Paul Scholes will return in midfield.

Sir Alex has recently admitted his fondness of the diamond formation which he has used in recent weeks. That may not be as strong now, however, after a deflated first half performance against Braga. Only after the introduction of Nani did the team really get going. This makes it all the more likely that a return of the traditional 4-2-3-1 occurs. Chelsea’s threat out wide in the form of Hazard and Mata may force Sir Alex to ease the burden on full-backs Rafael and Evra by playing wingers. Ashley Young, who has been acknowledged in the past for his defensive work is a possible choice on the left. Here is my preferred starting eleven for the game.

 

Onto my prediction for the game. A trip to one of the toughest grounds in Europe has never been easy. It is certainly not going to be any easier this weekend, with them being in such incredible form. I’m therefore going to go for a 2-2 draw. Chelsea will be a tough nut to crack, and I doubt that our defence will do us any favours.

There are no qualms about whether we can score goals with our strikers in such good form, but our handicap defensively may lose us the game. Chelsea fans may be in exactly the same frame of mind after some disappointing displays at the back themselves. I’m sure that the likes of van Persie, Rooney and Hernandez can trouble Luiz and Cahill quite comfortably. It may seem extremely negative, but I am trying to think about it all realistically.