Manchester United are set to take on Chelsea in a high profile clash at Old Trafford on Sunday and this will be the first time that Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte will come face to face after there verbal spat.
United were held to a goalless draw at Sevilla in Spain during midweek and Mourinho will be hoping that his team can turn around that disappointment on Sunday when they host the Blues. If Chelsea do manage to pick up all three points from this fixture then they have every chance of leapfrogging over Manchester United to take that second spot on the league table. We take a look at Man United’s predicted line up vs Chelsea.
MANCHESTER UNITED TEAM NEWS:
Mourinho will surely revert to a back three against Chelsea meaning Eric Bailly will return to the starting XI. Bailly will be partnered by Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. Jones’ participation in the match is still in a bit of a doubt but we hope the English International will be fit to face the Blues.
Both Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia are set to retain their places after the midweek outing against Sevilla. Luke Shaw has also been in good form for the past couple of months but Mourinho will most certainly opt for Ashley Young in the left wing-back role owing to the Englishman’s defensive capabilities.
The midfield will see a bit of a reshuffle though as Paul Pogba is likely to return to the starting XI after having started the Champions League game on the bench. The French midfielder will be partnered by Nemanja Matic meaning that Scott McTominay will be rested.
Juan Mata is likely to be replaced by Jesse Lingard in the frontline primarily because Mourinho would want to use the pace of Lingard on counter attacks. Alexis Sanchez has not shown anything special since his move to United during the January transfer window but will retain his place. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to training but it seems that the Swede is still not a hundred percent match fit meaning Romelu Lukaku will play as the lone striker against his former side.
MAN UNITED’S PREDICTED LINE UP VS CHELSEA:
Goalkeeper:Â David De Gea.
Defence:Â Bailly, Smalling, Jones.
Midfield:Â Young, Matic, Pogba, Valencia.
Attack:Â Lingard, Sanchez, Lukaku.
