With Ruud van Nistelrooy at the wheel, Manchester United headline this weekend's Premier League action on Sunday afternoon, when old foes Chelsea rock up to Old Trafford.
The two English behemoths suffered contrasting EFL Cup fates in midweek, as the Red Devils pummelled Leicester City 5-2 while the Blues were eliminated by Newcastle United.
Match preview
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As the Old Trafford hierarchy thrash out the final details of Ruben Amorim's managerial contract, former Red Devils attacking talisman Van Nistelrooy seeks a repeat of Wednesday's EFL Cup crushing of Leicester against a team in a similar shade of blue this time around.
A seven-goal spectacular that was sparked into life by a Casemiro stunner, Man United breached the Foxes' defence four more times through the Brazil international again, Bruno Fernandes (two) and Alejandro Garnacho to prove that the new manager bounce remains alive and well.
A lethal striker during his playing heyday, Van Nistelrooy could hardly have been happier with his players' attacking application in midweek, but the same could not be said for the now-unemployed Erik ten Hag at the London Stadium last weekend.
A devastating 2-1 defeat to West Ham United - in which Man United wasted golden chance after golden chance - hammered the final nail into Ten Hag's Old Trafford coffin, as the ex-Ajax boss departed with Man United in a lowly 14th place in the Premier League table.
Boasting just a paltry eight goals from their nine top-flight outings so far, Man United are one of five teams yet to hit the 10-goal mark in the 2024-25 Premier League - the others being Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Ipswich Town - but Wednesday's five-star performance offers hope of a significant turnaround in attacking fortunes.
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Chelsea have needed no guidance in making nets bulge under the tutelage of their newly-appointed head coach Enzo Maresca, thanks in no small part to the continued mastery of Cole Palmer, whose crisp finish made the difference against Newcastle United last weekend.
However, Maresca made a full 11 changes to that winning formula for the midweek reunion with the Magpies in the EFL Cup, and his second-string side could not replicate the feats of their superiors, who succumbed to Alexander Isak's opener and a comical Axel Disasi own goal.
Not all Blues supporters may be losing sleep over their side's EFL Cup exit, though, as the visitors' unexpected Champions League charge is certainly taking priority as the winter months approach; Maresca's men reside in fifth place with just a one-point gap to make up to Arsenal and Aston Villa at the time of writing.
The former side were coincidentally the last team to shut out Chelsea in a Premier League away game, as the Blues have now scored in seven straight road matches in England's top flight, although the 2-1 loss to Liverpool last month ended their five-game winning sequence in Premier League contests on rival turf.
A fixture that produced five straight low-key draws between October 2020 and October 2022, the more recent battles between Chelsea and Man United have been far more entertaining for the neutrals, as the Red Devils won 4-1 at Old Trafford in 2022-23 before Chelsea came up trumps 4-3 at Stamford Bridge in one of the games of 2023-24.
Team News
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It should be as you were in terms of Man United's injury situation, as Antony (ankle), Tyrell Malacia (knee), Harry Maguire (calf), Mason Mount (knock), Luke Shaw (calf), Leny Yoro (foot) and Kobbie Mainoo (thigh) have no chance of being back for Sunday.
Van Nistelrooy suffered a last-minute blow before the beating of Leicester, though, as Christian Eriksen pulled out of the matchday squad with an unspecified concern, and there is still a question mark hanging over his head for the visit of Chelsea.
The interim head coach has no need to make major alterations to the winning formula from the EFL Cup either way, but Noussair Mazraoui and Rasmus Hojlund's fresh legs could be utilised over Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee from the first whistle, while Andre Onana replaces Altay Bayindir in goal.
While eight beds in the Man United infirmary are occupied, the Chelsea medical team are only caring for one player at the minute; youngster Omari Kellyman is still missing with a hamstring problem, and there is no timeframe on his return.
Maresca has overlooked Jadon Sancho for starts for the past couple of weeks, but the Red Devils loanee is now unavailable on account of being unable to face his parent club, so Pedro Neto should hold the fort on the left once more.
Neto's return should be one of a full 11 changes that Maresca makes from the midweek horror show, in which Enzo Fernandez's display was lambasted by fans and pundits, so Romeo Lavia should join forces with Moises Caicedo in the centre of the Old Trafford park.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Ugarte; Rashford, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Gusto; Caicedo, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
We say: Manchester United 2-2 Chelsea
As pitiful as Chelsea were at St James' Park, Maresca's A-team will surely show more attacking bite than their B-team counterparts at Old Trafford, and Van Nistelrooy cannot fix Man United's defensive problems overnight.
However, if Wednesday is anything to go by, the hosts have been given a new lease of life in the attacking third, and we believe that Sunday's blockbuster will live up to the pre-match billing in a high-scoring stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
