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Manchester United logo
Premier League
Feb 25, 2018 at 2.05pm UK
 
Chelsea logo

2-1

Lukaku (39'), Lingard (75')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Willian (32')

Combined XI: Manchester United vs. Chelsea

Ahead of Sunday's Premier League showdown between Manchester United and Chelsea, Sports Mole selects a combined XI from both squads.

Two of the Premier League's top four will face off this weekend when Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho welcomes former club Chelsea to Old Trafford.

It is a match as intriguing off the field as on it, with Mourinho having been embroiled in a bitter war of words with Chelsea counterpart Antonio Conte in recent months.

The pair will attempt to tactically outclass each other on Sunday as both teams look to recover from some stuttering form of late, with only three points now separating the two sides in the Premier League table.

Here Sports Mole selects a combined XI from both squads, using only players available for this weekend.



Man Utd vs. Chelsea XI

This match will see two of the league's best goalkeepers on show, but even considering the quality of Thibaut Courtois it is a fairly simple decision to select David de Gea between the sticks. The Spaniard once again showed why he is considered by many to be the best in the world this week and it is difficult to think of a combined XI he would fail to get into.

The Chelsea system of three at the back is chosen as the formation for this team, and Cesar Azpilicueta's inclusion - like that of compatriot De Gea - is an easy one. The likes of Andreas Christensen, Gary Cahill, David Luiz, Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling all provide competition in a difficult area of the field to choose, but we have gone for Eric Bailly and Antonio Rudiger. Rudiger has been impressive during his debut season in English football and narrowly beats his teammates to a place in the team, whereas Bailly has now returned from injury and United fans will be desperate to see him back starting as soon as possible following some questionable defensive displays of late.

Marcos Alonso's seven goals this season help to make him a shoo-in for the left wing-back slot ahead of Ashley Young of United, but the Red Devils do provide the width on the opposite flank as Antonio Valencia sees off competition from Victor Moses.

It is an all-French midfield duo, with Paul Pogba earning a spot despite his recent dip in form - which has led to him being dropped twice and subbed off twice in his last four games. For all of the talk of a breakdown in his relationship with Mourinho, though, Pogba remains one of the most gifted midfielders in the division - as his tally of nine assists is testament to. Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas both lay strong claims to a place in the team too, but we need a defensive midfielder and they don't come any better than N'Golo Kante in that position right now.

A star-studded front three sees United new boy Alexis Sanchez selected on the left, having scored once in his six appearances for the club so far and shown plenty of signs which will encourage the United fans. Eden Hazard is another sure-fire pick ahead of the likes of Willian, Pedro, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata, with the Belgian having scored six goals and created two more in his last seven appearances.

The biggest question mark comes up front, where Romelu Lukaku has been given the nod ahead of Alvaro Morata, who was left on the bench in the midweek Champions League game against Barcelona. Both have struggled to live up to their price tags so far this season, while Lukaku in particular has been criticised for failing to turn up in the biggest games, but he has outscored Morata by eight goals across all competitions this season, which earns him a place.


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Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey in action during his side's Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium on October 1, 2017
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


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