Many football fans have already missed club football, but nearly on the first day after the national team break, the English Premier League will present an intriguing match at Stamford Bridge stadium. In the 9th round of the championship, two well-known clubs - London's Chelsea and Manchester United - will face each other. While one team's season is going almost perfectly, the other is still intensively fighting for their future. Teams' Results At the Manchester United camp, the focus this season is not on the team's performances but on behind-the-scenes issues - such as the relationship between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho, the indecisiveness of the club's leaders, and the poor performance of Alexis Sanchez. Just before the national team break, Jose Mourinho might have had a do-or-die match - in various media outlets, it was reported that the match against Newcastle would determine the Portuguese's future. However, unexpectedly, the Man Utd footballers managed to break their streak of misfortune and celebrated a victory with a result of 3:2. The "Red Devils" had the sword of Damocles hanging over J. Mourinho's head when they scored two quick goals. However, in the second half, the United players at home managed to fight back, and the match-winning goal was scored by none other than the highly criticized Alexis Sanchez. Prior to this, Man Utd had not achieved a victory in four matches - draws against Valencia and Wolves, and losses to West Ham and Frank Lampard's Derby County. If last season Mourinho's team was strong in defense, this season that playing element no longer exists - they have conceded eight goals in the last five matches. After eight rounds in the Premier League, the "Red Devils" are in the unusual eighth position, but the gap from the top four is not that big - just 5 points. Maurizio Sarri's debut season in the Premier League has been almost flawless so far - they have not experienced a single setback playing in the league. Chelsea has celebrated victory five times and settled for two draws so far this season. Currently, the "Blues" along with Liverpool and Man City have 20 points and share the top spot. In the last five matches, Chelsea has not suffered any setbacks either domestically or in Europe - three victories and two draws. They defeated Southampton, Vidi, and Liverpool while dropping points against the same Liverpool and West Ham. Chelsea is outperforming Man Utd not only in defense (three clean sheets in the last five games) but also in attack - they have scored 18 goals in the Premier League this season, while Man Utd has only 13. Teams' News Chelsea has no problems in their camp - all key players are ready to help the team in the critical match. Ross Barkley had some minor issues during the break, but the Englishman is ready to step on the field. There are more problems for Man Utd - one of their key players, Nemanja Matic, might not be able to play. Lingard and Rojo are still recovering from injuries. The physical condition of McTominay and Dalot is also uncertain. Ander Herrera may return to the lineup against Chelsea, likely replacing Matic in midfield. Due to injuries to several midfielders, it's hard to predict Mourinho's lineup, as the Portuguese coach has previously experimented with a defensively oriented backline against attacking teams. Projected starting lineups: Chelsea: (4-3-3) Kepa; Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, Marcos Alonso; N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic; Pedro, Olivier Giroud, Eden Hazard. Man Utd: (4-3-3) David De Gea; Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw; Fred, Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba; Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez. Interesting Facts The only defeat of Chelsea against Man Utd at Stamford Bridge since 2012 was in October that year - historically, Chelsea has won 10 times at their stadium and drawn five times against Man Utd. Since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure, Man Utd has not won a single match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, neither in the league nor in cup competitions - they have had one draw and five losses. In the country's top division, Chelsea is the most unfavorable opponent for Man Utd in their history - they have suffered 18 defeats. Chelsea and Brighton are the only teams in the Premier League to have more wins than losses against Man Utd. If Man Utd manages to win against Chelsea, it would be the first time since 2011 that they have won two consecutive league matches against Chelsea. Chelsea started the season brilliantly by winning 10 of their last 15 Premier League matches, drawing four times, and only losing once. Eden Hazard has been a nightmare for defenders this season - he has scored seven goals and provided three assists in eight league matches. A defeat against Chelsea would mean the worst start to a season in the Premier League for Man Utd since the 2014-15 season when they also had 13 points after nine matches. Under Mourinho's leadership, Man Utd has only managed to keep a clean sheet once this season. In total, Man Utd has already conceded 14 goals, and only three other Premier League teams have a worse defensive record. During Mourinho's tenure as Man Utd manager, playing away at Chelsea has been particularly difficult - three losses and a goal ratio of 0:6.
