Manchester United vs. Chelsea: 5 Key Players in EPL Clash

Manchester United has won four of the last five meetings against Chelsea, but each match draws all the intrigue of the one before. This will be Andre Villas-Boas' first foray against Man U as the leader of the Blues.

A loss for Chelsea would drop them five points behind the Red Devils, while a victory would have them leapfrog over the reigning champions. United have gotten off to a record-breaking 18-goal start in their four EPL victories this season.

Chelsea will have its work cut out for them in slowing United's offense, but they have Sir Alex Ferguson somewhat wary.

"The new coach has started very well," he said. "For a young man who has come to Chelsea, it is a great challenge. It is a hard challenge at his age but when you go to a new club, you hope you get an immediate response. He has got that. They are a team with great experience and they will always be a challenge to us."

There are several key cogs to the outcome of this game, but some are far more important than the rest. Here are the five players in this Sunday's Old Trafford showdown that will decide the victors of the match. 

David Luiz

The Sideshow Bob lookalike will likely play next to skipper John Terry to form a formidable pairing in Chelsea's back line. 

David Luiz goes into the game after making his return to the first team against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday after injury, where he marked his Champions League debut with a goal.

It will be Luiz's charge to make life difficult for Chicarito and Wayne Rooney, who combine to have scored 11 of United's 18 goals this season. If Luiz can put on a good show at the defensive end while continuing to contribute offensively, Chelsea has a good shot at coming away with a win.

David De Gea

Despite only giving up three goals to date, De Gea has drawn the ire of United's fans because of the way in which those three goals were scored. Ferguson has named him the starter for this weekend's clash with the Blues.

Signed from Atletico Madrid for £20 million in the summer, De Gea has made a nervous start to his career with the champions. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has taken him out of the firing line for the team's midweek Champions League draw at Benfica.

Any mistakes in this game will prove costly.

Daniel Sturridge

Since Sturridge's return from suspension, he has been pure magic for Chelsea. Despite playing out of position, Sturridge has given the team some of the firing power that Fernando Torres was supposed to give when he was brought in from Liverpool.

Sturridge will need to work on feeding the ball to Torres more, however, as he has not been afraid to fire the ball from all areas of the attack. Getting more of his teammates involved will help improve the Chelsea attack while making him less predictable.

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney's two consecutive hat tricks have put the rest of the league on notice. He is in prime form and will need to be kept under close watch as he moves through Chelsea's lines on Sunday.

Rooney is the crown jewel of United's attack and could easily decide the outcome of the game if he continues on his hot streak.

Raul Meireles

Raul Meireles has proven to be quite capable of adding some of the creativity that Villas-Boas so heavily sought during the summer transfer window. He has added pace to the starting lineup and proven to be a capable facilitator for the teams new attack scheme.

Meireles must continue to show his worth for Chelsea to complete an upset against their rivals.