Nine places separate Manchester United and Chelsea going into Sunday afternoon’s clash at Old Trafford, with the hosts winning just three of their opening nine Premier League games.
Man United vs Chelsea
Man United (4-2-3-1): Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Ugarte, Casemiro; Rashford, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Gusto; Lavia, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
A full house will expect a much-improved display following the sacking of Erik ten Hag this week, as interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy takes charge for a second match.
Ruben Amorim is has been named as the new permanent manager, but he won’t take charge of the Red Devils until the international break.
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Man United out to impress the new manager
It’s been another week of turmoil at Old Trafford, with defeat at West Ham United last Sunday the final nail in the coffin for Ten Hag’s reign.
The 2-1 loss to the Hammers left Man United 14th, seven points outside of the top four.
When assistant boss Van Nistelrooy was handed the post of interim manager, some pundits felt the former Dutch striker would be given the chance to earn the job on a permanent basis.
But the Old Trafford hierarchy have decided they need to go down another route and Sporting CP chief Amorim was their first choice.
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Goals have been a problem for Man United this term, scoring just eight times in the league – the third worst tally in the division.
In Van Nistelrooy’s first match, the Red Devils fired in five in their EFL Cup win over Leicester City and the hosts are likely to start on the front foot.
That may also play into Chelsea’s hands, offering them more space to get at the shaky United backline and add to the 19 goals they have scored in their opening nine games.
Man United vs Chelsea team news
Van Nistelrooy named a pretty strong starting XI for the EFL Cup success, but there are likely to be at least a couple of changes for Sunday.
Andre Onana should return between the sticks, while Victor Lindelof could drop out with Lisandro Martinez moving into the centre of defence and Noussair Mazraoui returning to full-back.
Joshua Zirkzee started up front against the Foxes but, after failing to find the net, is likely to be replaced by Rasmus Hojlund.
Enzo Maresca made a raft of changes for Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United on Wednesday night, with only one or two players expected to be involved on Sunday.
The likes of Robert Sanchez, Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Levi Colwill and Pedro Neto are all expected to start at Old Trafford.