A key contest in the hunt for Champions League football takes place under the lights at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night, as Chelsea do battle with Manchester United in the Premier League.
Following their 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford in September, the Red Devils are looking to complete the top-flight double over the Blues for just the second time after the 2019-20 season.
After a 24-day break from competitive action, Man United suffered their first home defeat under interim head coach Michael Carrick on Monday night, losing 2-1 to relegation-threatened Leeds United, who deservedly claimed their first top-flight triumph at Old Trafford in 45 years.
Leeds outclassed the Red Devils in the opening 45 minutes, and while the controversial second-half dismissal of Lisandro Martínez bizarrely sparked the hosts into life, a comeback remained elusive as a stony-faced Sir Jim Ratcliffe watched on from the directors’ box.
Still sitting third in the Premier League table and level on points with Aston Villa in fourth, Man United know that defeat at Stamford Bridge this weekend would leave them four points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea and just three in front of fifth-placed Liverpool with five games left to play.
Man United have lost two of their last four Premier League matches (W1 D1), as many as in their previous 22 fixtures (W12 D8), and they are in danger of losing back-to-back top-flight games for the first time this season – league leaders Arsenal are the only other team yet to lose consecutive games in the division.
Defensive improvements will be vital for a positive result on Saturday, given the Red Devils have kept just three clean sheets in 13 Premier League matches since the turn of the year, and only one shutout in their last 21 games on the road.