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Manchester United produced an impressive performance against French giants Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League campaign opener in midweek and will be looking to kick on in similar fashion as they host Chelsea at the Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Red Devils have quite a tough set of fixtures to navigate over the course of the next few weeks and will want to use the momentum from their last two wins to take all three points against a talented Chelsea side. Chelsea come to Old Trafford on the back of successive draws against Southampton and Sevilla.
We are all set for an exciting encounter as two teams brimming with talent lock horns in a fixture that has become all the more relevant owing to the fact that they're both managed by young managers who used to play for their respective clubs. Both Solskjaer and Lampard will go for nothing less than three points.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five key battles that could decide Saturday's matchup.
5 key battles - Manchester United vs Chelsea
#5 Christian Pulisic vs Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Aaron Wan-Bissaka took some time to regain the sharpness that set him apart last season after struggling in the opening weeks of the new campaign. Now he looks to have gained full match fitness and looked every bit like himself in Manchester United's wins against Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain.
Christian Pulisic had been a standout performer for Chelsea last season. However, he is yet to find his form this term and made his return to the side after being sidelined with an injury until the international break. Pulisic, however, hasn't looked his best so far and that has a lot to do with the fact that he's been deployed down the right wing in Chelsea's draws against Southampton and Sevilla.
Pulisic loves to operate down the left wing and that's the position from where he scored four goals and racked up four assists post the Covid restart last season. If Lampard decides to play Pulisic down the left flank, then he will be up against Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been exceptional for Manchester United particularly against pacy wingers and has dealt admirably with the threat posed by the likes of Raheem Sterling and Kylian Mbappe in the past. This should be a test of both Pulisic's and Wan-Bissaka's abilities.
#4 Alex Telles vs Reece James
One of Manchester United's latest acquisitions, Alex Telles, put on an impressive display against Paris Saint-Germain in his debut. Telles whipped in some delightful balls from the left flank and worked hard throughout. He has also been placed on corner-kick duties and is sure to whip in a couple beauties on Saturday.
If Manchester United go with a back three, then Alex Telles will be up against Chelsea right-back Reece James. Reece James loves to bomb forward and get involved in attack and he was one of Chelsea's best players in their win over Manchester United in last year's FA Cup semi-final.
If both these players are named in the lineup, we could see an excellent contest down both flanks as neither Telles nor James are wing-backs who like to concede a yard to the opposition.
#3 Marcus Rashford vs Thiago Silva/Kurt Zouma
Marcus Rashford will show up for the Saturday's game bright-eyed and bushy tailed after having pulled off successive spectacular performances against Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain. Rashford scored one and assisted two against the Magpies and then scored United's winner against PSG in the Champions League.
With Anthony Martial ruled out of the game through suspension, Rashford is likely to be deployed down the centre but will often drift to the sides as flexibility is key to Solskjaer's attacking setup. But Rashford will consistently test the pace and composure of Chelsea's centre-backs as he has shown a lot of quality in and around the area.
Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva are likely to start for Chelsea at the back and will both need to be at the top of their game if they are to have a chance of keeping the confident Manchester United forward quiet on Saturday.
#2 Timo Werner vs Axel Tuanzebe
Timo Werner is one of the most talented young goalscorers in Europe and was excellent for Chelsea against Southampton where he scored two goals and also picked up an assist. He'll be hoping to build on that against Manchester United but it won't be easy.
He is likely to go up against Manchester United's young centre-back Axel Tuanzebe who put in a mesmerizing performance against Paris Saint-Germain. Mind you, Tuanzebe had spent almost a year on the sidelines before being called up to the starting XI and asked to deal with the threat of Neymar and Mbappe.
Tuanzebe hardly put a foot wrong all game and matched Mbappe's pace like it was no big deal. Manchester United need Tuanzebe on Saturday to contain Timo Werner and if the youngster can chip in with yet another impressive performance, Chelsea will find it difficult to break the Red Devils down.
#1 Bruno Fernandes vs N'Golo Kante
This ought to be the battle the settles it. Bruno Fernandes and N'Golo Kante are both tireless customers and they will not give up until the final blow of the whistle. The Portuguese talisman has been in excellent form for Manchester United but N'Golo Kante has the ability to neutralize him.
Bruno Fernandes has been Manchester United's main man and has played a hand in seven goals from just five starts so far this season across all competitions. But N'Golo Kante has not exactly been at his best but is expected to rise to the occasion on Saturday.
Kante loves impeding attacks and curbing the creativity of the opposition and Bruno Fernandes is a player who can give him a run for his money.
