Manchester United players have been given a new lease of life under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and two months ago some would not have made their way into our Chelsea vs Man Utd best eleven.
That means we should have the edge in Monday night’s FA Cup encounter.
READ MORE: FA Cup Preview: Man Utd must respond against Chelsea, no evidence to suggest they won’t
Goalkeeper: David de Gea, Manchester United
There’s only one winner when you look at David de Gea and Kepa Arrizabalaga. The new Chelsea goalkeeper has been impressive in his first season at the club, but he and other Premier League goalkeepers are nowhere near De Gea, the best in the world.
Right Back: Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea
Neither Ashley Young or Diogo Dalot are better options than the speedy Azpilicueta. The Spaniard is a necessity in Chelsea’s defence.
Centre Back: Victor Lindelof, Manchester United
Our most improved player this season and recent form would suggest he’s one of the Premier League’s best up and coming defenders. Both teams will want to play out from the back, and most of our transitions from defence come through the Swede.
Centre Back: Antonio Rudiger, Chelsea
Rudiger is strong with a nice aggressive streak but he’s not up against much competition here. Chelsea aren’t blessed with the same quality in defence they had previously, and United are chopping and changing between Eric Bailly and Phil Jones when neither are good enough, not to mention Chris Smaling or Marcos Rojo.
Left Back: Luke Shaw, Manchester United
This is a close one. Marcos Alonso has been an important player at Stamford Bridge in recent years, though Luke Shaw’s resurgence this season has been incredible. Gone from being a disappointing washed up talent to one of the first names on the team sheet, the England international has quickly become one of the best left-backs in the Premier League.
Midfield: N’Golo Kante, Chelsea
This selection doesn’t really need justification. Kante may be playing a different role under Maurizio Sarri but he’s still one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world. After winning the World Cup alongside Paul Pogba in the summer, it was clear the Chelsea man has the ability to make work much easier on the players around him.
Midfield: Paul Pogba, Manchester United
A completely different player under Solskjaer, the Frenchman has led United to some important results over the past month. There’s not a Premier League side he wouldn’t get into at the moment.
Midfield: Ander Herrera, Manchester United
You need a player with a bite of bite in the middle and Ander Herrera is one of the best shithoursery merchants in the game. He causes a fuss in big games like this and while he’s far from a world-class footballer, the Chelsea midfield hasn’t looked great in recent times. This is probably the weakest selection of the lot.
Forward: Jesse Lingard, Manchester United
You might not see him pulling up threes or scoring hat-tricks but Lingard is key to how United have been playing lately. His movement is second to none and it opens up space for him and others around him. Willian hasn’t been great this season, so we probably dodged a bullet with that one.
It’s a shame he’s likely to miss the game against Chelsea through injury.
Forward: Eden Hazard, Chelsea
The Belgium international appears to have had enough of playing for Chelsea, with a move to Real Madrid constantly rumoured, but he is undoubtedly one of the best players in the Premier League. Hazard is one of the first names on the team sheet.
Striker: Marcus Rashford, Manchester United
The in-form England striker is one of many to witness a new lease of life under Solskjaer. He’s at his best now and will cause Chelsea serious problems when they meet on Monday night. Romelu Lukaku is well off the mark.
