The most eye-catching fixture this weekend in terms of quality and narrative will take place at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea welcome Manchester United to the capital.
This fixture has been one of the Premier League’s best since Roman Abramovich bought the Blues, but it has taken on another dynamic in recent seasons as their former manager Jose Mourinho is in charge at Old Trafford.
He achieved a lot of success with Chelsea and he is now looking to become the first manager to win the Premier League title with two different clubs. Here are three to start and three to bench from this fixture:
Three to start
Romelu Lukaku
The striker has been criticised for his poor goal-scoring record against the top-six teams and he will be eager to put that record straight with some big goals this season. Chelsea were the club he moved to as a teenager and he will have added motivation to perform on Sunday as a result of that. A failure to score in his last three league matches will leave those owning him with doubts, but he is worth persisting with for one more week.
Any Manchester United defender
Jose Mourinho approaches big matches in the same way and although it is predictable, it is effective. He will look to stay tight at the back and focus on keeping a clean sheet first and foremost. Manchester United defenders are always a good play when they are coming up against a top-six rival. They kept clean sheets against Liverpool and Tottenham, which will give the players confidence ahead of this weekend. Another shut-out is a real possibility.
Eden Hazard
Like Lukaku, Hazard owners will be slightly worried as he has yet to perform as everybody thought he would after his return from injury. Last weekend, he scored his first Premier League goal of the season and it could provide him with the confidence to kick on during the coming weeks. Manchester United will be difficult to break down and Chelsea may require a moment of magic from the Belgian to get the three points. Like several in this Blues’ team, he will have a point to prove to Jose Mourinho and that extra motivation could lead to a good fantasy performance.
Three to drop
Any Chelsea defender
Since the injury to N’Golo Kante, Chelsea have kept only one clean sheet in six matches across all competitions. Their defence looks vulnerable and the individuals are lacking in confidence. Their performance was shambolic during the week against Roma and Manchester United have the pace to cause them real problems. It is hoped that the French midfielder will return for this fixture, but he won’t be fully fit. At the time of writing, it is hard to invest in this defence.
Cesc Fabregas
The midfielder has been a regular in the team recently, but he is likely to be the one that makes way for the returning N’Golo Kante. There was a time when Fabregas was a great fantasy option for what he offered in terms of creativity, but an attacking contribution of a goal and an assist doesn’t justify his place in your teams. There are much better and more reliable midfield options in teams outside of the top-six.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
The Armenian international looked to be one of the best options in Draft Fantasy this season after a blistering start, but he has been ineffectual in recent weeks. He hasn’t contributed a goal or an assist in the Premier League since the 17th September and it is difficult to see a place for him any longer. For those who still own Mkhitaryan, his value has plummeted and he needs to be moved out as soon as possible. It is only a matter of time before his place in the Manchester United team is under threat.
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