Date: Sunday, 19 January 2014; Venue: Stamford Bridge, London; Kickoff: 16:00 GMT Manchester United travel to Chelsea on Sunday hoping for better than the bore draw the sides produced in August. David Moyes also knows that Jose Mourinho has never lost a home Premier League game in English football. No pressure then. The Red Devils ship was steadied in their last outing as Moyes ended a run of three successive defeats by being injury-hit Swansea. Mourinho's Blues meanwhile recorded five straight wins since another tepid goalless draw with Arsenal before Christmas. United have only one victory in their last six against Chelsea, coincidentally a 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge in October 2012. Sendings off for Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres proved pivotal as the Blues had comeback from 2-0 down to equalize before Javier Hernandez sunk the nine men. If the recent encounters between these two top flight heavyweights tell us anything then it's that we will either witness plenty of goals or few at all. With Chelsea and the Red Devils the potential is there for a wide open contest if Mourinho and Moyes let their players off the leash or for a tight, cagey affair.
Team News
New Blues signing Nemanja Matic will not be thrown in at the deep end with a debut against United from the start. Fellow midfielder Frank Lampard could return from a calf problem though. Matic's compatriot Ivanovic is still out with a knee injury. Moyes will still be without first choice strike pairing Wayne Rooney (groin) and Robin van Persie (hip). This match comes too soon for both men despite the Red Devils sending Rooney for warm weather training. Brazilian wingback Fabio meanwhile serves the last game of a three-match ban. Source: BBC
Likely Line-Ups
Chelsea: 1 Petr Cech, 28 Cesar Azpilicueta, 24 Gary Cahill, 26 John Terry, 3 Ashley Cole, 7 Ramires, 4 David Luiz/8 Frank Lampard, 22 Willian, 11 Oscar, 17 Eden Hazard, 9 Fernando Torres 4-2-3-1 Man Utd: 1 David De Gea, 2 Rafael, 12 Chris Smalling, 15 Nemanja Vidic, 3 Patrice Evra, 25 Antonio Valencia, 16 Michael Carrick, 23 Tom Cleverley/24 Darren Fletcher, 26 Shinji Kagawa, 44 Adnan Januzaj, 19 Danny Welbeck 4-4-1-1
Jamie Clark is a qualified Web Journalist after undergoing professional training at the University of Sheffield. A prolific and accredited sports writer, he also enjoys classic comedy, historic fiction, 80s music and heritage.
