Manchester United will be looking to wrap up a top-four finish and secure Champions League qualification when they welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford on Thursday evening.
United, who are unbeaten in all of their last 10 league meetings with the Londoners, took a giant stride towards securing a top-four berth with a 1-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday. Casemiro's early goal was enough to put the Reds in a position where they now require just one point from their last two games to qualify for Europe's premier club competition for next term.
United's hopes of achieving their main pre-season objective before the final day of the season this coming weekend were boosted after Liverpool dropped points at home to Aston Villa, also on Saturday afternoon. The Merseysiders must now win their final day trip to Southampton and hope United lose their last two games to sneak into the top four.
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United's home form, however, is what has put them on the cusp of securing a top-four spot; they are unbeaten on their own patch in the league since the opening day of the season and are unbeaten at Old Trafford in all competitions since September.
Saturday's win at Bournemouth saw David de Gea officially crowned this season's Premier League Golden Glove winner. He has now notched 17 shut-outs this term and he will be hoping to add another one to his collection against Frank Lampard's side.
Ahead of De Gea, considering United are not quite over the line just yet, manager Erik ten Hag could decide to stick with the exact same back-four that has started each of the last two matches. The Reds have kept two clean sheets in each of those games and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw have all played their parts in that achievement.
In midfield, Ten Hag is likely to stick with his strongest trio, meaning Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro should all start. Fernandes was key in United's last Old Trafford outing, playing an instrumental role in both goals that saw off Wolves in a 2-0 win.
The only change that Ten Hag could make to his starting line-up is on the left-wing; Marcus Rashford is back in contention after missing the trip to Bournemouth through illness. He has missed both of the last two games after playing no part in the win over Wolves seven days earlier because of a leg injury.
Provided he is in a strong enough condition to start, he is likely to replace Jadon Sancho, who was underwhelming against Bournemouth. Anthony Martial and Antony should retain their places to complete the front-three.
Predicted United line-up vs Chelsea: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen, Fernandes; Antony, Martial, Rashford.
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