PREVIEW: MANCHESTER UNITED V CHELSEA

Setting the scene… After three successive away games, the Reds are back at Old Trafford this weekend, for only the second time this month, for the visit of reigning Premier League champions Chelsea. Both teams come into the game on the back of draws against Spanish opponents in midweek in the Champions League and Jose Mourinho’s men will be looking to return to winning ways in the league after a 1-0 defeat away at Newcastle in our last outing. Sunday’s encounter will undoubtedly have a big impact on the race for a top-four finish, with the Reds looking to increase the gap over Chelsea to six points with a victory.

How can I watch it? Sunday’s big game kicks off at 14:05 GMT and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK. Subscribers to MUTV on Sky or Virgin Media, the club's MUTV app or online at MUTV.com will be able to watch build-up from 12:00 GMT on the Match Day show and listen to radio commentary of the game before watching it in full at midnight. You can keep up with all the action as it happens via ManUtd.com's live match blog and by following the official Twitter account @ManUtd.
What’s the team news? The Reds were without Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, Marouane Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Sevilla but were boosted by the return of Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford as substitutes on Wednesday night. However, the Reds look to be without Ander Herrera after the midfielder sustained a recurrence of a muscle injury early on in midweek. Eric Bailly could also make his 50th appearance for the club and his first start since our last game against Chelsea on 5 November. The boss is expected to give a further update on his squad in Friday’s pre-match press conference. Meanwhile, for Chelsea, midfield duo Ross Barkley and Tiemoue Bakayoko remain doubts as they are recovering from a hamstring injury and a knock respectively but Alvaro Morata is available again.
How are Chelsea doing? After an indifferent start to the season with 13 points from their first eight games, Chelsea and boss Antonio Conte have been under pressure again in recent weeks, following consecutive league defeats against Bournemouth and Watford at the start of the month. However, their last two outings might have galvanised their season after a comfortable 4-0 Emirates FA Cup fifth-round win against Hull City and a well-deserved 1-1 draw against Barcelona on Tuesday. Sitting one point clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and a point below third-placed Liverpool, Conte’s side will be keen to maintain the pressure on the teams around them in a tough week, with a trip to leaders Manchester City to come next.
What happened last time we played Chelsea? The previous clash between the sides was back in early November and saw the Reds’ long run without a win at Stamford Bridge continue. After showing some promise in an even first half, United fell to a 1-0 defeat with Morata heading home a Cesar Azpilicueta cross in the 55th minute.
What’s our overall record against Chelsea like? History shows the Reds are leading the head-to-head record comfortably, with 73 wins to Chelsea’s 52 from 178 meetings. The sides have drawn 53 times before and, prior to last season’s impressive victory, the previous three league meetings at Old Trafford had ended in draws.
One to watch: Having scored three goals in Chelsea’s last two games, Willian is in fine form heading into his 10th match against United. He put in an exceptional performance on Tuesday night, using his pace and strength against Barcelona. The Brazilian forward hit the woodwork twice in the first half before scoring with a brilliant low finish against the five-time European champions and the Reds defence will have to be alert to ensure he doesn’t score against United for the first time on Sunday.
Mourinho’s record v Chelsea: The boss has had mixed results when coming up against his former club. During his Treble-winning season at Inter Milan in 2010, he beat the Blues in both legs of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16-tie. During his time as United manager, the Blues have won the sides’ three meetings at Stamford Bridge but the Reds prevailed 2-0 in the only encounter at Old Trafford last season.
Did you know? The Reds will hope to maintain their excellent defensive record of late, which has seen us keep nine clean sheets in the last 11 games in all competitions. United have also kept a total of 23 clean sheets overall this season, which is three more than any other Premier League team.
Who’s the referee? Martin Atkinson will take charge of his fourth United game of the season, having officiated our 4-0 home win against West Ham on the opening weekend, the goalless draw against Liverpool at Anfield in October and, most recently, the 2-2 draw against Burnley on Boxing Day. The Bradford-based whistler will be assisted by Lee Betts and Simon Bennett, with Andre Marriner acting as the fourth official.
Rivals watch: As Arsenal and Manchester City prepare to battle it out in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley shortly after United play on Sunday, there’s an otherwise complete Premier League programme this weekend. Here’s the full fixture list…
Saturday 24 February (15:00 GMT unless stated)Leicester City v Stoke City (12:30 GMT)
Bournemouth v Newcastle United
Brighton & Hove Albion v Swansea City
Burnley v Southampton
Liverpool v West Ham United
West Bromwich Albion v Huddersfield Town
Watford v Everton (17:30 GMT)
Sunday 25 February Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur (12:00 GMT)
Arsenal v Manchester City (16:30 GMT) *
* Carabao Cup final at Wembley