Jose Mourinho's men emerged victorious on their trip to the Stadium of Light last Sunday, as Sunderland were beaten by three goals to nil. It was a comfortable triumph for the Red Devils against the Premier League's bottokm side, but United remain four points adrift of the Champions League qualification spots as the finish line comes into sight. On one level it has been a rather disappointing campaign for the 20-time English champions - after spending huge sums on new players last summer, a top-four finish was widely seen as the minimum expectation - but United could still end the year with two new trophies in their cabinet, as well as a place in the 2017/18 Champions League.
Chelsea maintained their seven-point lead over Tottenham Hotspur last time out, defeating Bournemouth 3-1 away from home. It was another impressive result for Antonio Conte's men, who are so reliable against teams that they are expected to beat – their shock loss to Crystal Palace a fortnight ago is the only time they have lost to a side outside the top six this season. It appears to be only a matter of time before the Blues wrap up their fifth title of the Roman Abramovich era, although the fact that Tottenham take on Bournemouth a day before this clash at Old Trafford means there will be a little bit of pressure on the west Londoners to come out on top.
Wayne Rooney, Phil Jones, Juan Mata and Chris Smalling will play no part for the hosts, but David de Gea could return between the posts after missing the defeat of Sunderland. Mourinho will probably opt for a 4-3-3 formation, with Paul Pogba, Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera the favourites to form a three-man midfield and Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo set to resume their partnership in the centre of defence. Further forward, lone frontman Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be supported from out wide by two of Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial.
Chelsea have no injury worries ahead of this encounter, which means Conte will not have to adapt his team's customary 3-4-2-1 formation. Victor Moses is fit again after a brief absence from the starting XI and will provide plenty of pace and direct running from right wing-back, with Marcos Alonso fielded on the other side and Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill continuing at centre-half. Diego Costa is going through a dry patch in front of goal but will lead the line once more, with Eden Hazard and Pedro Rodriguez likely to cause problems for the home side's defensive unit.
Taking everything into account, it is probably worth backing a draw at Old Trafford this weekend. Chelsea will look to sit deep and play on the counter-attack, but United have enough quality to ensure they avoid a fourth defeat of the league campaign.
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