Chelsea come to Old Trafford on Sunday to face Manchester United in a huge showdown in the race for a top four finish.
The Blues currently have a three-point lead over us in the race for next season’s Champions League, with Arsenal in between us.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been on a terrible run of late but we consider this a very winnable game as the Blues have hardly impressed during the same timeframe either.
Here’s the Chelsea team I think we’ll be facing this weekend:
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga
The Spaniard has been hit-and-miss during his first season at Chelsea following the departure of Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid. Kepa Arrizabalaga conceded twice against us at Stamford Bridge earlier this season.
Defence: Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, David Luiz, Emerson
Antonio Rudiger is out so Andreas Christensen will continue to partner David Luiz in defence. I fancy our chances to score against these two with our pace up front and simply because David Luiz is David Luiz. Emerson Palmieri has replaced Marcos Alonso at left-back in recent weeks.
Midfield: Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Ross Barkley
Maurizio Sarri continues to play N’Golo Kante out of position but the French international does have a good goalscoring record against us. No one is sold on Jorginho as the holding midfielder so hopefully Paul Pogba will show up on Sunday. Ross Barkley is very inconsistent but did score the stoppage time equaliser against us earlier this season. Ultimately, if we want to finish in the top four season, we’ve got to get the better of this midfield trio of we don’t deserve Champions League football next season.
Attack: Pedro, Gonzalo Higuain, Eden Hazard
Pedro is getting a good run out in the Chelsea team so I expect the Spaniard to start down the right in this one. Luke Shaw has done well in nullifying his opponents this season though so I am hopeful we’ll keep him quiet. On the opposite flank though, Eden Hazard versus Ashley Young brings me fear. Should Ander Herrera be fit to start our Spanish Energizer Battery has kept the Belgian superstar quiet in the past,so I’m keeping every finger and toe crossed Herrera is fit to start this weekend. Gonzalo Higuain hasn’t got himself in the best positions since joining Chelsea in January so don’t be surprised if we keep the Argentine from having a single shot on target on Sunday.
Here’s how I see Chelsea lining up:
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