The Manchester United renaissance continued with a fine 4-2 victory over Manchester City in the derby last week and following the wonderful result, the fans are now starting to believe that the Red Devils of the old is well and truly back.
Currently on 65 points after 32 matches, United look destined for a top four finish this season and strange as it may sound, the Red Devils could well even keep their faint hopes of claiming the Premier League title alive if they can get a good result this weekend when they square off against leaders Chelsea.
Despite their fine run though, the clash against Chelsea away from home represents arguably the biggest challenge for United and one can be sure that Louis van Gaal’s men will have to put in a herculean performance in order to be able to overcome the fantastically talented Blues’ side.
Here is the Strongest Possible Lineup for Manchester United on the day –
Goalkeeper
David De Gea once again had a good outing last week against Manchester City. Although, he did not have much to do throughout the match, the Spaniard made a couple of good saves during crucial moments of the game.
Now De Gea prepares to square off against the attacking might of Chelsea and it will be another test of the goalkeeper’s credentials on the day.
Defence
The Manchester United backline has undergone a dramatic improvement over the past few weeks and they played wonderfully well as a unit once again to subdue to Manchester City attack last week.
Therefore, one can be sure that van Gaal will not look to make any changes to the winning combination of Daley Blind, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia at the back.
That said though, the defence did allow a couple of cheap goals away against City and one can be sure that they cannot afford to make the same mistakes against a Chelsea side which gives very little away.
If indeed van Gaal decides to switch things around, Marcos Rojo and Rafael remain options but the duo of Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw remain unavailable.
Midfield
Ahead of the clash, Manchester United are handed a huge concern over the fitness of key midfielder Michael Carrick. Carrick was forced off during the final stages of the clash against City and it remains to be seen if the midfielder will be fit in time to feature this weekend.
If the 33-year old misses out, there is a chance that Angel Di Maria will feature while Juan Mata could move into a more central position to facilitate the Argentine winger’s return.
As for the likes of Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini, they are certain to retain their place in the starting lineup following another brilliant performance while Ashley Young will be looking to build on his man of the match display last week.
Attack
The fitness of Robin van Persie is still in doubt and it is very likely that Wayne Rooney will be leading the line once again.
Rooney was a bit quiet against City last week but one can be sure that the striker will have a key role to play if United are to claim a victory over Chelsea.
Radamel Falcao has been out on the cold over the last few weeks and the Colombian star is expected to start on the bench once again.
(4-5-1)
Via – Lineup Builder
