Chelsea vs Manchester United possible starting line-ups: Will Pulisic play?
Fourth meets fifth in the Premier League but Cristiano Ronaldo will sit out this evening’s clash at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening. The Blues remain unbeaten since Graham Potter took the reins, with five wins from seven. Apart from the 6-3 defeat to neighbours City, United’s recent form also makes positive reading - victories against Everton and Spurs plus a draw against Newcastle has kept them in touch with the top four teams. Just one point separates Ten Hag’s side in fifth from today’s rivals Chelsea, who are clinging onto the last Champions League berth.
Potter’s Chelsea have won three games in a row at home in the league - beating Leicester, West Ham and Wolves. His 3-4-2-1 set-up is proving effective and he will field his strongest XI against United. N’Golo Kanté (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (knee) and Reece James (knee) all remain sidelined. Conor Gallagher is reported to be fit again after feeling ill in the last match.
Christian Pulisc came on for the last half hour of Wednesday’s 0-0 draw against Brentford - he’s made just two starts so far this season and is finding almost impossible to break into the starting XI with Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling.
The mid-week win against Tottenham will serve to reinforce the new feeling of optimism within the United camp. It was arguably their best collective performance of the season so far and Ten Hag is unlikely to tinker with a formula that is bringing results. The only upset was Cristiano Ronaldo’s outburst during Wednesday’s game, for which he has been left out of the squad and fined two weeks’ wages.
Centre-back Harry Maguire remains out a thigh problem so Lisandro Martínez and Raphael Varane will start, flanked by Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot. In midfield, Casemiro and Fred are forging a formidable partnership, they will play behind Bruno Fernandes, with all three linking up to provide support for the front three - Jadon Sancho, Rashford and Antony. Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, Anthony Martial, who is still recovering from a back injury, will also sit out the game.
Chelsea vs Manchester United (possible starting XIs)
Chelsea: Mendy; Silva, Koulibaly, Chalobah; Kovacic, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Cucurella; Mount, Sterling and Havertz.
Manchester United: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martínez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Brun Fernandes; Sancho, Rashford and Antony.
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 5:30 p.m. local time (CEST) - 12.30 p.m. EDT / 9.30 a.m. PDT