Key events
Manchester United make two changes to the team that started the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City. Harry Maguire and Casemiro come in for Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte, both of whom are benched. Altay Bayindir again gets the nod ahead of new keeper Senne Lammens.
Chelsea also make two changes in the wake of defeat, theirs that 3-1 loss at Bayern Munich. Wesley Fofana and Estêvão replace Tosin Adarabioyo and Malo Gusto, who drop to the bench.
The teams
Manchester United: Bayindir, Mazraoui, de Ligt, Maguire, Dorgu, Casemiro, Fernandes, Shaw, Mbeumo, Diallo, Sesko.
Subs: Lammens, Mount, Cunha, Zirkzee, Yoro, Ugarte, Heaven, Fredricson, Mainoo.
Chelsea: Sanchez, James, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella, Fernandez, Caicedo, Estevao, Palmer, Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro.
Subs: Adarabioyo, Bynoe-Gittens, Jorgensen, Santos, Hato, Gusto, George, Guiu, Garnacho.
Referee: Peter Bankes (Merseyside).
VAR: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire).
Preamble
This isn’t exactly a world exclusive, but here it is anyway: Manchester United aren’t in the best nick at the moment. While it’s true they can boast the second-best xG in the Premier League so far this season (8.3), they’ve got the fourth-worst xG against (6.9) and in any case statistics can only keep you so warm at night when the realpolitik is four matches, four points, and a shellacking in the Manchester derby. A grim enough state of affairs without the need to bring Grimsby Town into it.
But! If there’s a fixture that could rekindle some hope around Old Trafford, and belatedly kick-start United’s season, it’s Chelsea at home. United are unbeaten in 12 in this fixture, since Juan Mata, then a Blue, scored a late winner in May 2013; pull back the viewfinder a little further, and Chelsea have only won this fixture twice in the last 20 years.
Factor in Chelsea’s painful energy-sapping lesson in Munich earlier this week, suffered while United had their feet up studying Ruben’s Big Book of Plays, and this game has perhaps arrived at exactly the right time for the under-pressure Amorim and his men. Having said all that, Chelsea are unbeaten in three against United, winning two, while their domestic performances, admittedly imperfect, have been a damn sight better than those of today’s hosts. All of which is a long-winded way of suggesting that tonight’s match could go either way, and as a result should be great fun. Kick-off is at 5.30pm UK time. It’s on!
