Key occasions
7 min: Jorgensen comes on to interchange Estevao. Neto can also be sacrificed by Enzo Maresca, with Tosin approaching to bolster a defence that'll now be below extreme strain all night.
6 min: Fofana and Chalobah had been simply behind Mbeumo, however the striker was within the technique of rounding the keeper when he was felled, so there's no altering that call.
RED CARD! Sanchez (Chelsea)
4 min: United have flown out of the traps, and so they get a giant reward now. Bayindir launches lengthy. Sesko flicks on to launch Mbeumo down the center. Mbeumo is free! Simply as he reaches the sting of the D, Sanchez races out of the field and cleans the striker out. The referee doesn't must assume. Out comes the purple card. The best resolution he'll have for some time.
3 min: United have began effectively, although, and when Dorgu crosses from the left, Mbeumo has a header parried by Sanchez on the far put up. United come once more, and James is pressured right into a last-ditch problem to dam Dorgu earlier than he can shoot.
2 min: It's completely lashing down, and there's no let-up forecast.
1 min: United are on the entrance foot early doorways, Mazraoui and De Ligt driving down the best because the rain drives down in every single place. Cucurella not for budging.
Manchester United get the ball rolling. Chelsea will kick in direction of the Stretford Finish throughout this primary half.
The groups are out! Manchester United of their storied purple, white and black, Chelsea of their well-known royal blue. It's coming down stair-rods in Manchester; in different breaking information, the aforementioned Pope is Catholic. We'll be off in a minute!
Let's have a rummage across the pre-match postbag … and by the seems of the contents, Ruben Amorim has misplaced the group.
“Any signal of a Papal Bull at Previous Trafford? In spite of everything, there's been loads of one other sort of bull there over the past 12 months” – Gary Naylor
“Luckily that is solely soccer. Think about Amorim as a normal. ‘Sir, our troops are being slaughtered.' ‘Look son. Not even the Pope might make me change my system. Keep on!'” – Mary Waltz
“Shaw was atrocious at left centre-back place final week, as Bruno's been in midfield every recreation; so it's kinda bizarre Yoro's out and Shaw's nonetheless in and United's been arrange in final week's precise formation of midfield and assault. What was the definition of madness?” – Karen Asad
“Win or lose in the present day, Amorim should go. There's no place for this inflexibility within the Premier League” – Jeff Sax
Talking of Garnacho, our man Jamie Jackson is on the floor, and the next dispatch is not going to come as an enormous shock. “Garnacho entered late to the warm-up and to sizeable boos. He's persevering with to be jeered.”
Enzo Maresca talks to Sky. “Total the change we made in the present day is to rotate just a little bit … it is vitally tough to go together with the identical gamers each time … Wes [Fofana] is prepared … [Estevao brings] vitality and high quality … we'd like him … we'd like all the remainder of the attacking gamers … [erstwhile United winger Alejandro Garnacho] already confirmed towards Bayern and Brentford that he will help us … hopefully we may give him some minutes … each recreation is tough … Man United away is a really sophisticated recreation.”
Ruben Amorim speaks to Sky Sports activities. “The very first thing is to attempt to present the picture of the final recreation and work on that … put extra males within the field … we now have to defend our field … use our full pace to get well place … be actually targeted … aggression and focus is one thing we now have to enhance … the essential moments we now have to do higher … Harry Maguire's capacity to defend the field … on this second we'd like the expertise … we all the time attempt to put our greatest 11 towards the opponents and Maguire is in that 11 in the present day … we can't danger gamers [like the returning duo of Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount] … we now have different gamers … our focus is the factor we have to change … it isn't to vary the gamers on a regular basis … it's to imagine what we're doing … we can't lose Matheus and Mason for a lot of video games.”
The 3pm outcomes are in, and so they don't carry excellent news for Manchester United. Burnley and Nottingham Forest's 1-1 draw means each golf equipment leapfrog them within the Premier League desk, leaving them one spot off the relegation locations. Now, which may not imply very a lot so early within the season, however the optics aren't nice. Having stated all that, three factors will catapult them into the highest half and issues will look a lot rosier come 7.30pm. Chelsea in the meantime are bumped right down to sixth after Crystal Palace's 2-1 win at West Ham, however they'll go second this night with victory.
Chelsea's supervisor has additionally been telling it as he sees it. None of it excellent news for Raheem Sterling or Axel Disasi. No splicing of the mainbrace for them.
… so Amorim sticks with Bayindir, and he's additionally sticking with that formation. No nice shock there, to be truthful, with United's supervisor by no means lacking a possibility to say his MO.
Manchester United make two adjustments to the workforce that began the 3-0 defeat at Manchester Metropolis. Harry Maguire and Casemiro are available for Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte, each of whom are benched. Altay Bayindir once more will get the nod forward of recent keeper Senne Lammens.
Chelsea additionally make two adjustments within the wake of defeat, theirs that 3-1 loss at Bayern Munich. Wesley Fofana and Estêvão change Tosin Adarabioyo and Malo Gusto, who drop to the bench.
The groups
Manchester United: Bayindir, Mazraoui, de Ligt, Maguire, Dorgu, Casemiro, Fernandes, Shaw, Mbeumo, Diallo, Sesko.
Subs: Lammens, Mount, Cunha, Zirkzee, Yoro, Ugarte, Heaven, Fredricson, Mainoo.
Chelsea: Sanchez, James, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella, Fernandez, Caicedo, Estevao, Palmer, Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro.
Subs: Adarabioyo, Bynoe-Gittens, Jorgensen, Santos, Hato, Gusto, George, Guiu, Garnacho.
Referee: Peter Bankes (Merseyside).
VAR: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire).
Preamble
This isn't precisely a world unique, however right here it's anyway: Manchester United aren't in one of the best nick in the meanwhile. Whereas it's true they'll boast the second-best xG within the Premier League up to now this season (8.3), they've received the fourth-worst xG towards (6.9) and in any case statistics can solely maintain you so heat at evening when the realpolitik is 4 matches, 4 factors, and a shellacking within the Manchester derby. A grim sufficient state of affairs with out the necessity to carry Grimsby City into it.
However! If there's a fixture that would rekindle some hope round Previous Trafford, and belatedly kick-start United's season, it's Chelsea at residence. United are unbeaten in 12 on this fixture, since Juan Mata, then a Blue, scored a late winner in Might 2013; pull again the viewfinder just a little additional, and Chelsea have solely received this fixture twice within the final 20 years.
Think about Chelsea's painful energy-sapping lesson in Munich earlier this week, suffered whereas United had their toes up learning Ruben's Massive E book of Performs, and this recreation has maybe arrived at precisely the best time for the under-pressure Amorim and his males. Having stated all that, Chelsea are unbeaten in three towards United, successful two, whereas their home performances, admittedly imperfect, have been a rattling sight higher than these of in the present day's hosts. All of which is a long-winded means of suggesting that tonight's match might go both means, and in consequence must be nice enjoyable. Kick-off is at 5.30pm UK time. It's on!
