Chelsea vs. Man U
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick off: 4:30PM
Jose Mourinho makes his latest return to Stamford Bridge this afternoon for a huge Premier League showdown, as second-placed Manchester United attempt to extend their points advantage over Chelsea.
The Blues have stuttered in the opening months of the campaign, struggling to find any real momentum after winning just three of their last seven games in all competitions.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte needs no reminding that the life of a Premier League-winning manager can be short, given the man he would eventually succeed in West London – his opposite number this weekend – was axed just seven months after finishing first in 2015.
Talk of the man at the top moving on is nothing new in these parts, of course, with Conte bringing much of that on himself by repeatedly admitting over the past 12 months or so that he does not see his long-term future in English football.
Since the 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Roma, which could have ended a lot worse had the rampant Italians taken a couple more of their chances, there have been claims that it is now simply a case of whether Conte will be pushed or instead jump before the inevitable.
Yet a look at the situation Chelsea find themselves in, with a quarter of the season now played, suggests that all is not that bad; three points this weekend being enough to put them in a favourable position both at home and abroad.
The current nine-point gap on Manchester City is of course a worry, but Chelsea will move to within a point of second place while also being almost certain of a place in the last 16 of the Champions League in spite of that midweek setback in Rome.
While Mourinho’s position as Man United boss is unquestionably safe for the foreseeable future, the Portuguese is seemingly trying his best to drive a divide between himself and the club’s passionate supporters.
Another sly dig at the Old Trafford faithful ahead of the 2-0 Champions League win over Benfica on Tuesday night did little to heal the increasingly fractious relationship, forcing the Manchester United Supporters Trust to step in and arrange a meeting.
All is not well behind the scenes at United, then, but results on the field have been positive on the whole, even if questions were again raised regarding Mourinho’s perceived bland style of play in the wake of recent performances.
Chelsea possible XI: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Zappacosta, Bakayoko, Kante, Alonso, Pedro, Hazard, Morata.
Manchester United possible XI: De Gea, Bailly, Smalling, Jones, Valencia, Matic, Herrera, Young, Mkhitaryan, Rashford, Lukaku.