Two teams firmly under the spotlight this season clash tomorrow night at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea hosting Manchester United in the Premier League.
For Chelsea, they’ve dropped down to 12th in the Premier League table, so they’ll need some finish to the campaign to end up in the European positions.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues side are crying out for a response on Thursday evening after the weekend’s 2-2 draw at home to Burnley.
As for Man United, they’ve had their own barrage of criticism to contend with all year.
Erik ten Hag’s side do sit sixth in the league table right now, but Champions League qualification looks out of sight.
Erik ten Hag assesses Chelsea
Man United boss Ten Hag has been speaking today about upcoming opponents Chelsea.
Despite the Blues’ struggles, he’s claimed they have a “fantastic” squad of players and can beat any team in the division on their day.
When asked about Chelsea in his pre-match press conference, Ten Hag said via United’s official website: “It is a tough competition and it is very tight. Also it comes down to which players are available and which players are not. When you are on the right side of the line, you can have a successful season, but in this competition where it is so competitive, it can also be a time where you are on the wrong side. Then you may have a season which is more difficult.
“For the rest, they have a fantastic team and they have fantastic players, they play good football so they can beat everyone and they have already shown that in this league.”
Chelsea must watch out for 26-year-old
One Man United player that’s regularly troubled Chelsea in the past is Marcus Rashford.
The 26-year-old forward isn’t having a great season by his high standard, but he’s scored three goals in his previous four games across all competitions.
Rashford’s career record versus Chelsea isn’t too bad either, scoring six times and making three assists in 18 matches against them.
Similar to Chelsea for the last couple of years, you don’t quite know what version of Rashford you’re going to get on any given day.
Thankfully, Pochettino confirmed today Blues right-back Malo Gusto will be in the squad against United after an injury scare via Chelsea’s YouTube channel.