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Premier League action is set to return as Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge to meet Frank Lampard's Chelsea FC on Monday night in this week's mega encounter.
Both teams have consistently failed to fulfil their potential this season, with Manchester United sitting six points behind Chelsea. While Chelsea stand 4th on the points table and have bagged 41 points from 25 matches, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men are in the 8th position and have garnered 35 points after playing the same number of matches as their counterpart.
Although it is almost certain that neither team is looking to challenge Liverpool for this season's Premier League title, the result of this weekend's match could prove to be vital when it comes to finishing fourth in the league table.
As the fourth position is still up for grabs, fans could hope for an enthralling 90 minutes of football from these two reputed sides. Without any further ado, let us take a look at those 3 possible battles which could play an integral part in this mouth-watering encounter.
3. Antonio Rüdiger vs Anthony Martial
After being sidelined for the first few months of the campaign though groin injury, it seems like Antonio Rudiger has finally made one of the centre-back positions his own. Since returning from the injury, the 26-year-old has started every game for Chelsea in Premier League.
Not only did he start the game against Leicester City in the last matchday, but he scored twice for the Londoners that day to secure a hard-fought 2-2 draw at King Power Stadium.
We could expect Rudiger to lead Chelsea's defensive line alongside Andreas Christensen against Manchester United. The German possesses great defensive attributes and could also be an obvious aerial threat inside the opposition box during the set-piece situations.
On the other hand, it will be United's Anthony Martial who could give Rudiger a hard time on Monday night. Martial has been given the role of a proper No. 9 this season, and he has played the role particularly well so far, racking up 11 goals across all competitions.
Martial's prolific goalscoring record has already made him the 2nd top-goalscorer for the Mancunian club. Considering that Manchester United have now an alternative striker in Odion Ighalo, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to field Martial in what could be a season-changing match for Man United.
As per what we have seen so far from Solskjaer's side, Manchester United should use their counter-attacking traits to nullify Chelsea's defence again this Monday. Chelsea's defence has been vulnerable this season in the Premier League.
The Blues have conceded 34 goals - as many as 10th-placed Arsenal and two less than 14th-placed Crystal Palace. As Chelsea have worked tremendously hard to rectify their defensive misdeeds over the course of the winter break, Manchester United forwards might face a different and a much improved defensive Chelsea this time around.
2. N'Golo Kante vs Bruno Fernandes
There is an old saying that big matches are won and lost in midfield. As the game between Chelsea and Manchester United is going to be a big one, the midfielders could make or break the game for their respective sides.
While we are talking about rivalries and midfielders, there is no denying that Manchester United's latest January acquisition Bruno Fernandes will come up against one of the best midfielders of modern era in N'Golo Kante.
Since making his return from injury, N'Golo Kante has proved his worth to Frank Lampard. Under the English manager, Kante has played in a more all-action role in midfield. As a result of that, the Frenchman has already recorded 3 goals from 17 appearances in Premier League 2019-20.
While Kante possesses both defensive and attacking attributes, his counterpart is well-known for taking long-range shots and eye-catching attacking qualities. Before joining Manchester United for a reported fee of £60 million, Fernandes scored 8 goals and provided 7 assists in 17 league appearances for Sporting CP.
With Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay expected to miss the game through fitness issues, Fernandes will be the man to run the midfield for Manchester United.
If N'Golo Kante gets success in keeping an eye on the Portuguese maestro, getting something positive out of the match would become much easier for the hosts as United have suffered due to lack of creativity many times this season.
3. Willian vs Aaron Wan-Bissaka
When Chelsea visited Old Trafford earlier this season, Manchester United summer signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka showcased an impressive all-around performance and helped the men in reds secure a clean-sheet in what was a thumping 4-0 victory for the home side.
Since Eden Hazard left the London club to join Real Madrid in the last summer transfer window, Chelsea veteran Willian Borges da Silva has given the opportunity to don the left-wing for the Blues with No. 10 on his back.
Even though the manager has shown his faith in Willian, his performances for the club have not been exceptional this term. As a result of what, he has racked up only 4 goals and 4 assists from 24 Premier League appearances.
Consequently, Lampard could drop Pedro - who has not performed convincingly well for Chelsea this season - and could field Willian - who could help Chelsea's youthful frontline with all his big-match experience.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, on the other hand, has already made the club's right-back spot his own. Although some fans have started to consider him as one of the best full-backs in England's top division, there is still room for improvement in the attacking areas for Wan-Bisska.
If Willian finds success and rediscovers his lethal form against one of his favourite opponents, he could certainly give the English full-back a tough time on Monday night. Moreover, Chelsea will be in the hunt for their first victory over Manchester United in the 2019-20 season. We will have to wait and see whether Willian would be the man to give Chelsea a night to remember.
