Since the fixture being announced back in June, the media and fans alike have had this fixture highlighted on their calendars for months as Jose Mourinho returns to the club that left him jobless this weekend. The Portuguese’s return to Stamford Bridge will receive a mixed reception for their home faithful, with some feeling he was wrongly sacked and was left stranded after a mutiny which saw Fabregas, Costa and Eden Hazard all publicly brandished as rats, whilst some felt it was the right decision to move on as Mourinho’s arrogant personality had tarnished the clubs image.
Chelsea will be going into the game full of confidence after their demolition of Leicester City at the weekend, which saw the Blues come away with a 3-0 victory against last season champions – a scoreline which flattered the away side as a rejuvenated Chelsea produced a rampant performance that could’ve easily ended in 5 or 6-0 victory if it weren’t for Danish international Kasper Schmeichel.
Manchester United on the other hand will be looking to make an improvement on their performance at Anfield which saw them drop 2 points against their rivals with only 36% possession to their name. United fans will be hoping Mourinho goes against his traditional tactics against his former side this weekend as they look to make an early push for a Champions League spot at the end of the season.
Referee:
Martin Atkinson.
One To Watch:
David De Gea – Although Man United have a star studded line which includes the likes of Mkhitaryan, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba, one man stands out above the rest and it’s David De Gea.
The Spanish international is considered one of the best in the world and it’ll be a hard task to get past the 25-year-old. De Gea was the main reason that the Red Devils managed to get a point on Monday and will look to be their savour once again this weekend.
Last 5 Meetings:
Chelsea 1-1 United, United 0-0 Chelsea, Chelsea 1-0 United, United 1-1 Chelsea, Chelsea 3-1 United.
Team News:
Willian has returned to training this week but it is yet to be decided whether he starts against United, Zouma continues his rehabilitation as he starts to train with the U21’s and Terry is available for the fixture.
Predicted XI:
Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Pedro, Costa, Hazard.
Score Prediction:
Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
