Manchester United will visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday in order to take on Chelsea and this could very well be a season changer for both the managers. A win for Mourinho will mean that his team can keep the pressure on leaders Manchester City while for Conte, not picking up three points will mean that his team’s title defence will well and truly be over.
We look at 3 key battles which will certainly determine the outcome of the Chelsea vs Man Utd match:
Lukaku vs David Luiz:
Chelsea will take the pitch with a three-man back line and David Luiz will most certainly be the player who will be handed over the duties to man-mark Romelu Lukaku. The big Belgian can certainly prove to be a handful and is equally good with his feet as well as in the air. Luiz will certainly have to keep a close eye on him as players like Rashford or Martial will try to link up with the striker on every chance they get.
Hazard vs Bailly:
Manchester United will have a few defensive headaches of their own in the form of Eden Hazard. The Belgian has been playing some fine football and he single-handedly won Chelsea the game last week against Bournemouth. Bailly will most likely be the person to stop him from entering the final third and the way sometimes the United defender lunges into challenges it could pose a serious issue for Mourinho. During the midweek clash against Benfica, Bailly made a series of rash challenges and failed to clear the ball multiple times. If he repeats those mistakes on Sunday then surely Hazard will make him pay.
Fabregas vs Matic:
Nemanja Matic will return to the Stamford Bridge for the first time since he was sold off to United this summer. And the Serbian will definitely have a point or two to prove to the Chelsea management who sanctioned the deal. Matic has seamlessly fit into the United first team and he has brought a sense of calm to the midfield. Something that Chelsea have been missing this season. If Kante does not make himself available then Fabregas will have Bakayoko by his side – meaning that the Spaniard will also have to take part in defensive duties. Matic will be given the job of looking after Fabregas and his sole intention will be to break the rhythm so that Fabregas cannot play those long balls from midfield.
