Manchester United can take an enormous stride towards Champions League qualification when they visit fellow top-five hopefuls Chelsea on Saturday.
The Red Devils missed the opportunity to move 10 points clear of the sixth-placed Blues on Monday when they were stunned by relegation-threatened Leeds United, but triumphing at Stamford Bridge will see them establish an emphatic margin.
Unfortunately for United, they have won just one of their past four in the Premier League and haven’t tasted victory at Chelsea in five visits. Michael Carrick and his players are aiming to respond to recent setbacks with a morale-boosting performance.
Center Back Dilemma for Chelsea Trip
United find themselves incredibly light in one department: center back. Matthijs de Ligt’s return from a nagging back injury remains distant, while both Lisandro Martínez and Harry Maguire are suspended.
Martínez was shown a controversial straight red card for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair on Monday and Maguire has earned an extra one-game suspension after acting in an improper manner following a red card at Bournemouth before the international break.
Patrick Dorgu is another confirmed absentee for the Red Devils, but there are hopes that Kobbie Mainoo will return this weekend. The midfielder missed the Leeds loss with a small knock.
- ⚠️ Key injuries, doubts, suspended: Lisandro Martínez, Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Dorgu, Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo.
- 🔢 Predicted formation: 4-2-3-1
Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea
GK: Senne Lammens—The Belgian will expect to be worked regularly by Chelsea’s cast of star forwards, especially with a makeshift defensive pairing in front of him.
RB: Diogo Dalot—Noussair Mazraoui failed to convince against Leeds and appears set to lose his starting berth, Dalot making his return for an intriguing battle with Pedro Neto—and potentially former teammate Alejandro Garnacho.
CB: Leny Yoro—Yoro was overwhelmed by Calvert-Lewin last time out, but will be tasked with playing through his wobble due to United’s center back shortage.
CB: Ayden Heaven—The youngster is most likely to replace the suspended Martínez and will be pushed to his limits by the ever-improving João Pedro.
LB: Luke Shaw—England teammate Cole Palmer could be Shaw’s adversary in west London, potentially dragging the United left back into areas he doesn’t want to operate in.
CM: Casemiro—Casemiro scored and was sent off during a chaotic 2–1 win over Chelsea in September. The surprisingly prolific Brazilian has scored in half of his games against the Blues as a United player.
CM: Kobbie Mainoo—Following Manuel Ugarte’s dreadful showing against Leeds, Carrick desperately needs Mainoo to make his comeback on Sunday.
RW: Bryan Mbeumo—Mbeumo was something of a surprise omission from the XI on Monday. While his form has been patchy in recent weeks, he’s still one of United’s most explosive attacking threats.
AM: Bruno Fernandes—Fernandes registered another assist last time out as he closes is on the Premier League record for a single season. Four more and he will surpass the 20 produced by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne previously.
LW: Matheus Cunha—An undeniably suave operator, Cunha’s lack of output has somewhat overshadowed his debut season in Manchester, with just seven goals scored in 31 appearances.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd XI vs. Chelsea: Crisis for Carrick to Overcome—Injury News, Predicted Lineup.
