Chelsea vs. Manchester United: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Jose Mourinho will return to Stamford Bridge as manager of Manchester United for the first time on Sunday, as Chelsea play host to the Red Devils in the Premier League.
Chelsea have won their last two and sit just three points behind league leaders Manchester City, while United have struggled domestically of late and have fallen to seventh place.
They'll be boosted by their big win over Fenerbahce in the UEFA Europa League, however, and with momentum on their side, the Red Devils will be eyeing a big result.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Date: Sunday, October 23
Time: 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), NBC Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go, NBC Live Extra
Team News
Per Chelsea's official Twitter account, manager Antonio Conte confirmed Kurt Zouma is closing in on a return to the pitch, but he's still not training. That means the Italian will once again have to find the right defensive combination, with David Luiz and Gary Cahill expected to start.
He also said Cesc Fabregas and Branislav Ivanovic are dealing with knocks:
Wayne Rooney made his return to the starting XI for United against Fenerbahce, but he's not expected to repeat that feat against the Blues.
Speaking to MUTV (h/t Mark Froggat of Manutd.com), Mourinho hopes Chris Smalling can recover ahead of Sunday after picking up a knock in the win over Fenerbahce. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also close to a return.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Thibaut Courtois, Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Marcos Alonso, Nemanja Matic, N'Golo Kante, Victor Moses, Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, Pedro
Predicted United XI: David De Gea, Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Daley Blind, Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Preview
Mourinho will undoubtedly soak up all of the headlines on Sunday as he returns to Stamford Bridge to face former club Chelsea. The Special One played a major role in the club's success over the last 15 years, but he also left the Blues on poor terms last season.
As shared by Sky Sports News HQ, Conte hopes fans will give him a warm welcome:
On the pitch, United will try to carry the momentum of the last week to another fine result. The Red Devils shut down Liverpool's vaunted attack in their last Premier League outing before cruising to an easy win over Fenerbahce in the Europa League.
Chelsea present a different challenge. The Blues have already lost to Arsenal and Liverpool this season, but they've mostly won the matches they were expected to win and trail Manchester City by just three points as a result.
Conte's been forced into tinkering with his defence and formation after several miscues at the back, but the team seems to have settled down and has looked far more secure of late. Per WhoScored.com's Miguel Delaney, the three-man defence may have something to do with that:
"The new Chelsea manager has always greatly preferred playing four at the back, to the point that he has based much of his thinking around it. His Coverciano thesis - the document required to ultimately get through Italy’s prestigious coaching school - was even written on the formation, entitled ‘4-3-1-2 and the educational use of video’. As his first few weeks at Stamford Bridge made clear, too, it would generally be his first preference when setting up a team.
The problem is that it has proven nowhere near as effective for him as three at the back.
[…] The formation was the literal foundation of all his most high-profile successes. It was the root of three successive league titles at Juventus, including one record-breaking unbeaten league season. It was the root of his immensely impressive Euro 2016 campaign, where a largely unfancied Italy became tournament revelations.
"
Conte doesn't have Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli at Stamford Bridge, and those three star defenders were the main reasons behind both the implementation and success of his 3-5-2 formation.
He was also criticised for sticking to the three-man defence in the Champions League while he coached Juventus―the Bianconeri always seemed to falter against top competition when they didn't switch to a traditional formation.
Mourinho preaches organisation above all else, and his United squad sat very deep against Liverpool in their last Premier League outing. That could play right into Conte's three-man back line, if the Italian has the courage to stick with it.
Sunday's clash should be a fantastic tactical battle between two managers who want to keep the other team from scoring, first and foremost. Slow starts have been Chelsea's main weakness so far―expect United to take a few shots early.
