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This Sunday sees a huge game in the Premier League, as Chelsea play host to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
The last time Chelsea and Manchester United faced off, the match ended in a dire 0-0 draw. But with new Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel overseeing a real resurgence, his Blues side have climbed into fifth place in the table.
And a win over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils would likely move them into the top four and put them just three points behind United.
With millions spent on big-name players, Chelsea and Manchester United clearly have two of the Premier League’s best squads.
So if we were to put together a combined XI of players from those squads, who would be selected?
For the purpose of this article, we’ve lined our side up in a 4-3-3 formation, despite Tuchel currently favoring a 3-4-3.
Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
This was a tricky choice, but in the end, we’ve gone with Chelsea’s new #1 Edouard Mendy over Manchester United’s long-time goalkeeper David De Gea.
Signed from Rennes for a fee of around £22m last summer, Mendy has contributed hugely to a stronger Chelsea defense this season.
The Senegal international has already kept 10 clean sheets this season, conceding just 16 goals in the process. Mendy looks a much better bet than his Blues rival Kepa Arrizabalaga.
De Gea, meanwhile, has appeared in 23 of United’s 25 games, with understudy Dean Henderson covering the other two.
The Spaniard hasn’t done badly, but he’s only kept eight clean sheets to Mendy’s 10 and has conceded 29 goals.
De Gea has made more saves than Mendy – 49 to 34 – but this is more likely because he’s played three more matches than the Senegalese.
It is worth noting, though, that neither keeper is infallible. Both Mendy and De Gea have made an error leading directly to a goal this season. And last season saw the Spaniard make three such errors.
Right-Back: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United)
Right-back is a tricky spot to fill in this team largely because Chelsea have struggled to choose between Cesar Azpilicueta and Reece James during the current campaign.
However, despite both men's talents, Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka is the most logical choice here.
In terms of defensive statistics, Wan-Bissaka outshines his two Chelsea competitors quite comfortably.
The 23-year-old averages more tackles, interceptions, and blocks per game than either Azpilicueta or James, with his average of 3.1 tackles per game being truly outstanding.
But more surprisingly, for a player who often comes under fire for his lack of attacking intent, Wan-Bissaka has done well in that department this season too.
While his attacking statistics lag behind James’, Wan-Bissaka has actually scored two goals and registered two assists – more than either of his Chelsea counterparts.
Therefore, Manchester United’s #29 deserves a spot in this side.
Central Defense: Thiago Silva (Chelsea) and Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Choosing two central defenders for this side is quite tricky, as neither Chelsea nor Manchester United have completely reliable center-backs right now.
However, of the available players, the first pick is Chelsea’s Thiago Silva. The Brazilian – who arrived on a free transfer in the summer – is 36 years old now, and it’s hard to dispute that he’s past his prime.
However, Silva still has an excellent mind for the game. And although his athleticism has waned, it hasn’t stopped him from being the Blues’ best defender this season.
After a dreadful start against West Brom, his performances have been fantastic, with a tremendous 93.2% pass success rate supplementing his excellent defensive skills.
Alongside Silva, we’ve gone for Manchester United’s Harry Maguire.
The world’s most expensive defender has come under plenty of criticism this season and has undoubtedly had a handful of truly dire games.
However, at his best, Maguire is still commanding in the air and has excellent skills on the ball. Maguire scores highly in defensive areas like clearances, interceptions, and tackles.
The England international also offers a set-piece threat and has scored two goals this season.
This partnership would indeed lack some pace, but then aside from the shakier Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly, none of United or Chelsea’s defenders are all that quick.
Left-Back: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)
This was another close spot to call, largely due to the resurgence in the form of Manchester United’s Luke Shaw.
The former Southampton man has enjoyed his best season in some time, earning rave reviews for his performances against Liverpool and Manchester City. His total of five assists is a career-high for him, in fact.
However, his England rival Ben Chilwell edges him out, just about.
Chilwell – who signed for Chelsea for around £45m in the summer – enjoyed an excellent start to his career with the Blues.
He scored two goals and registered four assists in the early part of the season and was arguably Chelsea’s best player under Frank Lampard.
Since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel, the England man has seen his playing time trimmed, largely due to the German’s use of wing-back Marcos Alonso.
However, Chilwell still outscores Shaw in key defensive areas such as tackles, interceptions, and clearances per game. Offensively, the stats are basically a wash.
Therefore, it’s the Chelsea man who gets the nod here.
Midfield: N’Golo Kante (Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
In terms of the holding midfield spot, with respect to Manchester United’s Fred and Scott McTominay, Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante was the only real choice.
Sure, the Frenchman is arguably no longer in the same imperious form that saw him win back-to-back Premier League titles with Leicester City and Chelsea.
However, when he’s deployed correctly, he’s still arguably the best holding midfielder in the league.
Kante still scores remarkably highly in terms of his ability to break down an opposition attack. With an average of 2.7 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game, he outstrips McTominay, Fred, and Nemanja Matic comfortably.
And in terms of the levels of sheer energy that he brings to the table, the World Cup winner is basically unparalleled.
Likewise, in terms of the creative spot in this midfield, Bruno Fernandes was the only choice.
The Portuguese international has been a revelation since arriving at Old Trafford in January 2020. And a year down the line, it’s hard to dispute that he’s now Manchester United’s most important player.
In 25 Premier League appearances in 2020-21, Fernandes has 15 goals and 10 assists – meaning he’s involved in at least one goal per game on average.
Simply put, his form in a United shirt has been phenomenal, making him a genuine candidate for the 2020-21 campaign’s Player of the Year.
That leaves room for one more midfielder, and while it was a tough choice, we’ve gone for Chelsea’s Mason Mount.
A favorite of Frank Lampard, Mount seems to have gotten right into new boss Thomas Tuchel’s good books, too.
The 22-year-old isn’t the perfect player yet – he’s only scored four goals and registered three assists in his 24 appearances this season. But arguably more than any other player, he represents Chelsea’s heartbeat.
No player – even Kante – seems to cover as much ground as the England international. And while his passing statistics are high as you’d imagine, he scores surprisingly well in the defensive areas too. Mount averages 2.1 tackles and 1.0 interceptions to go with 2.6 key passes per game.
Playing between the lines alongside Kante and Fernandes, Mount would probably be more effective in this side than he is in real life.
Forwards: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Edinson Cavani (Manchester United), Timo Werner (Chelsea)
Choosing a front three for this side was tricky, largely because Chelsea have a simply ludicrous amount of options to pick from.
However, the first two choices here come from Manchester United.
Marcus Rashford – given his preferred slot on the left side of the attack – is a definite for this team. Thus far, he’s enjoyed a fantastic season, delivering nine goals and six assists in his 25 Premier League appearances thus far.
Still only 23 years old, it’s probably fair to say that the England international is now Manchester United’s most dangerous attacker, period.
And while his finishing still isn’t the best at times, he’s capable of the spectacular, as we saw in his recent goal against Newcastle United.
In terms of central strikers, the choice was between United’s Edinson Cavani, Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham and his more experienced teammate Olivier Giroud.
Giroud actually has the best goals to games ratio of the trio, scoring four in 13 appearances compared to six in 17 for Cavani and six in 20 for Abraham.
However, the French veteran doesn’t really offer the same kind of threat as Cavani does.
More of a target-man, Giroud is good at getting onto the end of crosses, but Cavani is capable of scoring from anywhere. The Uruguayan adds more to a team’s attack overall – as is visible by his two assists.
In time, Abraham – who is far younger than his competitors here – may outstrip both men, but right now, Cavani is the best bet to spearhead this side’s attack.
Finally, in a somewhat controversial call, we’ve gone for Chelsea’s Timo Werner.
Sure, it’s fair to suggest that the German has not really hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge. In fact, he recently broke a long goalless streak by scoring against Sheffield United.
But Werner still has five goals and five assists this season, a better record than United’s Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial, as well as his Blues teammates like Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
And with his ability to play on either side, it’s easy to imagine him being able to switch sides with Rashford at the drop of a hat to give an opposing defense even more problems.
Given more time to settle in, it’s likely that Werner will live up to his potential – but already, he’s done enough to warrant a spot in this side’s attack.
