With Premier League excitement mounting, attention shifts to Stamford Bridge where Chelsea is poised to take on Manchester United in a much-anticipated midweek showdown tonight.
Both sides are hungry for a vital win that could significantly influence their season’s course, with Chelsea looking to distance themselves from the lower half of the table and Manchester United striving to ascend higher.
Chelsea heads into the match following a frustrating 2-2 draw against Burnley in their last game.
Under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea has shown promise, currently occupying the 12th spot in the Premier League standings with 40 points from 28 games.
However, Manchester United poses a formidable challenge. Despite recent struggles, they hold 6th place with 48 points from 29 matches, arriving at this encounter following a 1-1 draw against Brentford over the weekend.
Erik ten Hag’s team clinched a 2-1 victory in the previous meeting at Old Trafford last December.
Regarding player updates, Chelsea receives a boost with Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Robert Sanchez returning after missing the Burnley game. Malo Gusto is also expected to feature after escaping injury. Unfortunately, Ben Chilwell remains sidelined due to illness, while several players like Christopher Nkunku and Reece James are still out due to injuries.
On the Manchester United side, Amad Diallo returns from suspension, but Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez are unavailable. Raphael Varane’s participation may be in doubt after his early substitution against Brentford, although it’s suggested to be a precautionary measure.
The potential lineups for Chelsea could see Petrovic, Gusto, Disasi, Cucurella, Badiashile, Gallagher, Caicedo, Fernandez, Sterling, Palmer, and Jackson taking the field, while Manchester United might field Onana, Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro, Mainoo, Fernandes, Garnacho, Hojlund, and Rashford.
The match kicks off at 8:15 pm.
