Feb 25, 2018 at 2.05pm UK at ​Old Trafford
Man UtdManchester United
2-1
Chelsea
Lukaku (39'), Lingard (75')
Valencia (68'), Matic (85')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Willian (32')
Kante (30'), Morata (88')

Combined XI: Manchester United vs. Chelsea

Ahead of Sunday's Premier League showdown between Manchester United and Chelsea, Sports Mole selects a combined XI from both squads.

Two of the Premier League's top four will face off this weekend when Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho welcomes former club Chelsea to Old Trafford.

It is a match as intriguing off the field as on it, with Mourinho having been embroiled in a bitter war of words with Chelsea counterpart Antonio Conte in recent months.

The pair will attempt to tactically outclass each other on Sunday as both teams look to recover from some stuttering form of late, with only three points now separating the two sides in the Premier League table.

Here Sports Mole selects a combined XI from both squads, using only players available for this weekend.



Man Utd vs. Chelsea XI

This match will see two of the league's best goalkeepers on show, but even considering the quality of Thibaut Courtois it is a fairly simple decision to select David de Gea between the sticks. The Spaniard once again showed why he is considered by many to be the best in the world this week and it is difficult to think of a combined XI he would fail to get into.

The Chelsea system of three at the back is chosen as the formation for this team, and Cesar Azpilicueta's inclusion - like that of compatriot De Gea - is an easy one. The likes of Andreas Christensen, Gary Cahill, David Luiz, Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling all provide competition in a difficult area of the field to choose, but we have gone for Eric Bailly and Antonio Rudiger. Rudiger has been impressive during his debut season in English football and narrowly beats his teammates to a place in the team, whereas Bailly has now returned from injury and United fans will be desperate to see him back starting as soon as possible following some questionable defensive displays of late.

Marcos Alonso's seven goals this season help to make him a shoo-in for the left wing-back slot ahead of Ashley Young of United, but the Red Devils do provide the width on the opposite flank as Antonio Valencia sees off competition from Victor Moses.

It is an all-French midfield duo, with Paul Pogba earning a spot despite his recent dip in form - which has led to him being dropped twice and subbed off twice in his last four games. For all of the talk of a breakdown in his relationship with Mourinho, though, Pogba remains one of the most gifted midfielders in the division - as his tally of nine assists is testament to. Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas both lay strong claims to a place in the team too, but we need a defensive midfielder and they don't come any better than N'Golo Kante in that position right now.

A star-studded front three sees United new boy Alexis Sanchez selected on the left, having scored once in his six appearances for the club so far and shown plenty of signs which will encourage the United fans. Eden Hazard is another sure-fire pick ahead of the likes of Willian, Pedro, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata, with the Belgian having scored six goals and created two more in his last seven appearances.

The biggest question mark comes up front, where Romelu Lukaku has been given the nod ahead of Alvaro Morata, who was left on the bench in the midweek Champions League game against Barcelona. Both have struggled to live up to their price tags so far this season, while Lukaku in particular has been criticised for failing to turn up in the biggest games, but he has outscored Morata by eight goals across all competitions this season, which earns him a place.


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Who will win Sunday's Premier League clash between Manchester United and Chelsea?

Man Utd
Draw
Chelsea
Man Utd
38.9%
Draw
17.8%
Chelsea
43.3%
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey in action during his side's Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium on October 1, 2017
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City27233179205972
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd28185553203359
3Liverpool28169365323357
4Tottenham HotspurSpurs28167553242955
5Chelsea28165750252553
6Arsenal27136851361545
7Burnley2891092225-337
8Leicester CityLeicester2899104041-136
9Everton2897123247-1534
10Watford2896133847-933
11Bournemouth2888123343-1032
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton28710112637-1131
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham2879123550-1530
14Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2886142548-2330
15Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2878132738-1129
16Southampton28512112941-1227
17Crystal Palace2869132543-1827
18Swansea CitySwansea2876152141-2027
19Stoke CityStoke2868142854-2626
20West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom28311142242-2020
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