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Stamford Bridge has not been a happy hunting ground for Manchester United. Chelsea have lost just one of their last 17 Premier League home games against the Mancunian side, winning 10 and drawing six. The Blues are unbeaten at home against the Red Devils since their 2-3 loss way back in 2012. Manchester United will be hoping to secure their first league double over Chelsea since the 1987-88 season having beaten them 4-0 on the opening day of this season.
Much has changed since Chelsea last hosted Manchester United with both teams changing their managers. Both Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are desperate to finish in the top five this season and qualify for next season's Champions League.
Chelsea are currently six points ahead of Manchester United in the league table and could open up a huge nine-point gap between the two teams with a win on Monday night.
The Red Devils, on the other hand, would be eager to get all three points from this game following Tottenham Hotspur's late win over Aston Villa last night. Champions League football is paramount for Solskajer's survival as the Manchester United boss with Mauricio Pochettino reportedly ready to take over at Old Trafford next season.
This latest edition of Chelsea vs Manchester United is a cliched Premier League 'six-pointer' where no team would be happy to lose on the night, especially Solskajer's team, who cannot afford to drop points between now and until the end of this season. On that note, we look at the three things Manchester United must do to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.
#3 Avoid Individual Mistakes
Manchester United's season has been a catalog of defensive individual mistakes featuring almost every member of their defensive line. David De Gea has let easy goals go in while Harry Maguire has been dominated aerially which has often resulted in dropped points for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team.
Luke Shaw is another player who has been largely inconsistent this season. He has often been the weak link in Manchester United's back five where wingers have got the better of him on a consistent basis. Brandon Williams has emerged as the popular choice for the left-back position casting further doubts on Shaw's future at the club.
Solskjaer must be 100% sure before naming his left-back on Monday. Brandon Williams is an attack-minded full-back who could allow Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi the space to run behind him. Meanwhile, Shaw's defensive frailties make him susceptible to making a mistake in a crunch moment.
Andreas Pereira is another player who has been rather careless in possession throughout this season. Playing in a high-pressure game, turning over possession in dangerous areas could often end up giving away the deciding goal. These individual mistakes have to be cut out by Manchester United if they want to come away from Stamford Bridge with a positive result.
#2 Use Nemanja Matic as the No. 6 and Bruno Fernandes as the No. 10
Ever since his return from injury, Nemanja Matic has become a huge player for Manchester United, helping the team to seven wins out of the 12 matches he has played. The Serbian scored the winning goal in Manchester United's 1-0 win over Pep Guardiola's side late last month.
With injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been forced to use Andreas Pereira in the holding midfielder's role with very little impact. Matic is fully fit and should start against his former team. The former Chelsea man is a huge presence in the middle of the park and him alongside Fred will offer Solskajer the much-needed midfield solidity.
Manchester United's January signing Bruno Fernandes looked sharp and incisive on his debut against Wolverhampton and is expected to play a key role against Chelsea on Monday night as well. We saw Fernandes operate in a more deeper role against Wolves, however, with Matic playing in the No.6 role, the former Sporting Lisbon captain should play in his preferred No.10 position.
Bruno Fernandes is a naturally attacking playmaker who loves to feed on the spaces between the defensive lines. Chelsea will find it hard to keep the Portuguese international quiet for the entire 90 minutes and Red Devils supporters will hope for a moment of magic from their new signing.
#1 Exploit Chelsea's openness in possession
Frank Lampard's team has lost twice to Manchester United this season and the ghost of their 4-0 defeat on the opening day of this season must still haunt The Blues. Chelsea have continued to struggle in possession, especially in their transitions from defence to attack. They are often seen playing hopefull balls out wide expecting a moment from brilliance from their attackers.
N'Golo Kante has been asked to operate further forward leaving the flat-footed Jorginho a lot of the ground to cover and protect leaving Chelsea very open to counter attacks. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team relies on counter attacks for many of their goals and if Lampard's team gives Red Devils constant space to run into, things may get ugly for the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Odion Ighalo is expected to play some part in the game which will give Chelsea defenders a physical presence to deal with which could make the likes of Anthony Martial, Daniel James, and Mason Greenwood even more dangerous as the game goes on.
Bruno Fernandes will love playing at Stamford Bridge if Chelsea continue to be open and expansive in possession. It will give the Portuguese playmaker enough space to drop into and release Manchester United's front three. It is very rare for the top teams to play end-to-end football for the entire 90 minutes but this gigantic clash at Stamford Bridge could be an open and entertaining affair.
