Manchester United and Chelsea collide at Old Trafford on Sunday as two Premier League giants aim to qualify for the Champions League this season.
United have hired Ruben Amorim to replace Erik ten Hag, which suggests they will shift to a new formation in the coming weeks and months. Amorim will not take charge of United officially until November 11 with interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy in charge until then.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has hammered his ideas into his young side impressively and they’re looking a real threat on the counter and extremely dangerous in attack.
Below we focus on the Manchester United vs Chelsea predicted lineups, with analysis and team news ahead of this intriguing encounter.
How to watch Manchester United vs Chelsea live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 11:30am ET Sunday (November 3)
Venue: Old Trafford — Manchester
TV Channel: USA Network
Streaming: Watch online via NBC.com
Manchester United predicted lineup
——- Onana ——-
—- Dalot —- De Ligt —- Martinez —- Mazraoui —-
—— Casemiro —— Ugarte ——
—- Rashford —- Fernandes —- Garnacho —-
——- Hojlund ——
Ruud van Nistelrooy is likely to roll out most of the team which demolished Leicester in midweek, with perhaps two changes. Mazraoui could come in at left back with Lisandro Martinez shifting to center back, while Hojlund is expected to start in attack after Zirkzee got the nod against Leicester. It will be intriguing to see if Amorim is already calling the shots even though he isn’t officially taking over until a few weeks from now. Will United go to his favored back three? It seems unlikely if he’s not there working on it on the training ground, but it may also be worth it to have the players playing this way before he arrives. De Ligt, Martinez and Maguire seem like a good fit for a back three, but playing a 3-4-2-1 does cause problems for United’s flying wingers. How will Garancho, Rashford and Diallo slot into Amorim’s plans? That’s a problem for another day. Having the duo of Casemiro and Ugarte in central midfield will give United experience and a defensive platform that will be badly needed against a lively Chelsea side who will cause plenty of problems pressing high and on the counter.
Chelsea predicted lineup
——- Sanchez ——-
—- James —- Fofana —- Colwill —- Cucurella —-
—— Caicedo —- Lavia ——
—- Madueke —- Palmer —- Neto —-
——- Jackson ——-
This Chelsea team pretty much picks itself right now. The only real debate is in two positions: right back central midfield. Will Reece James start over Malo Gusto? Will Romeo Lavia start over Enzo Fernandez? The answer to those two questions is yes. Or at least that is my guess. James has looked rusty but his upside is huge if he can stay fit and get a decent run of games. Gusto will be very unlucky to miss out but he is a valuable, versatile player and could even start at left back as Marc Cucurella played the full 90 at Newcastle in midweek. Lavia is also clearly ahead of Fernandez in the pecking order, with the Belgian perfect for Maresca’s system. Count how many times Lavia receives the ball from the goalkeeper or center backs in a tight spot and effortlessly drops his shoulder and then dribbles 30 yards up the pitch to change defense into attack. It will happen at least five or six times in the first half and is crucial to the way Chelsea want to play. Having Nkunku, Felix and Mudryk to come off the bench is a real treat and Chelsea are always a threat on the break and have so much speed. Cole Palmer is the key to everything they do and his partnership with Jackson and Madueke in particular is developing very nicely.
