Old Trafford is the venue as Manchester United and Chelsea go head-to-head in a mouth-watering, heavyweight Premier League clash on Sunday afternoon.
How to Watch?
The standout fixture of Matchday 10 kicks off at 4.30 pm GMT and is available on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.
Subscribers can catch the live stream through the Sky Go app as the hosts embark on a new chapter after parting ways with underachieving manager Erik ten Hag (read more about live streaming all football games here).
Manchester United News
Last weekend’s disheartening 2-1 defeat at West Ham United was the final straw to break the camel’s back as Man Utd relieved the Dutch tactician of his duties the following day.
Caretaker boss Ruud van Nistelrooy painted his touchline debut with flying colours on Wednesday, with the Red Devils humbling Leicester City 5-2 in midweek League Cup action.
Van Nistelrooy will remain in charge until Monday, November 11, when the 20-time Premier League champions present Ruben Amorim as their new manager.
The highly-rated Sporting CP boss has agreed to join United on a three-year deal until 2027, with an option to extend for another year after making a name for himself in Lisbon.
Chelsea News
Unlike their hosts, Chelsea have thrived in their Premier League, with last Sunday’s 2-1 home win against Newcastle United propelling them to fifth in the Premier League table.
However, the Magpies repaid the courtesy on Wednesday, beating Enzo Maresca’s team 2-0 at St James’ Park to progress into the next League Cup round.
With another distraction out of the way, the Blues can intensify their pursuit of their first top-four finish in the Premier League since the 2021/22 campaign.
They’re within touching distance of fourth-placed Aston Villa. Only a point separates the two sides ahead of this matchday, highlighting the importance of recovering from a midweek upset.
Fantasy Selection
With Van Nistelrooy’s style still covered in mystery, it’s hard to make an educated guess about Man Utd’s goals this weekend.
Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford have been awful this season while misfiring striker Rasmus Hojlund doesn’t inspire much confidence.
It leaves Alejandro Garnacho as the wisest pick after the Argentine forward dislodged the homegrown United ace from the starting XI in recent weeks.
As for Chelsea, Cole Palmer is a no-brainer.
Despite coming at a prohibitive £11.0 million price tag, the free-scoring English forward has been unstoppable since swapping Manchester City for Stamford Bridge last summer.
Palmer’s seven-goal haul is only one shy of Man Utd’s attacking output in the Premier League this term.
On top of that, he has tallied five assists, with only Mohamed Salah (84) bettering the 22-year-old’s 79 points.
Team Updates
Manchester United
Man Utd lost underperforming winger Antony to injury against Fenerbahce.
The Brazilian has joined long-term absentees Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia on the sidelines.
However, Van Nistelrooy can call upon the services of Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount this weekend.
Chelsea
While the injury crisis at Old Trafford has only recently started to subside, Chelsea haven’t had such issues this season.
Except for Jadon Sancho, Maresca will have his entire first-team squad fit and ready for this blockbuster trip.
The Man Utd loanee is unavailable for selection against his parent club, with Pedro Neto likely to fill the vacancy.
Premier League Form Guide
Manchester United
Amid the club’s worst nine-game start in the Premier League era, the Red Devils head into proceedings stranded in the lower reaches, six points adrift of their fifth-placed visitors.
With a goal difference of -3 and only eight goals scored, Man Utd are marking their worst start in both categories through the first nine games of a Premier League season.
Except for a 2-1 comeback win against Brentford in their most recent home league outing, they’ve gone winless in four of their five top-flight matches (D2, L2).
They have netted a sub-par average of only 0.75 goals per home league game this term.
Chelsea
Before slumping to a 2-1 derby defeat at Liverpool on their last Premier League travel, Chelsea had won their first three away league matches under Maresca.
However, consistency has not been the Blues’ strong suit on the road lately, as they’ve alternated between winning and losing in their last four competitive encounters outside the Bridge.
That’s particularly ominous ahead of their trip to Old Trafford, where they haven’t beaten Man Utd in 11 consecutive meetings across all competitions (D6, L5) since May 2013.
But it’s worth mentioning that this remains the most-drawn fixture in Premier League history, with 26 of the 64 previous clashes between United and Chelsea ending all square.
