After a tumultuous few days in which they lost to West Ham, sacked Erik ten Hag, appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy on an interim basis and hired Rúben Amorim as their new permanent head coach, Manchester United face the prospect of a visit from an in-form Chelsea team to Old Trafford on Sunday.
Though United’s lacklustre start to the new campaign has left the team and fans sapped of confidence, the sense of a fresh start under Van Nistelrooy — until Amorim’s official arrival on Nov. 11 — could inspire the supporters and prove the catalyst for a transformation in the club’s fortunes. The turnaround will need to happen quickly, though, if they are to go toe-to-toe with Cole Palmer and co. in this weekend’s standout fixture.
Here’s everything you need to know, including team news, stats, fantasy tips and the latest news:
Key details:
Date: Sunday, Oct. 27 at 4.30 p.m. GMT (12.30 p.m. ET)
Venue: Old Trafford
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR: Michael Salisbury
How to watch:
The game will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and NBC Sports in the United States. You can also follow along with ESPN’s live updates.
Team news:
Man United
Van Nistelrooy will remain in charge in his interim capacity until the international break and will be hoping to build on the convincing 5-2 win over Leicester City on Wednesday. However, the former striker will be unable to call upon a host of talent for his second game in charge. United’s lengthy injury list was something Ten Hag frequently pointed towards for United’s stuttering form over the past year.
Antony exited the draw with Fenerbahce on Oct. 24 with an ankle injury — his expected return date is unknown. Defenders Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are all out with long-term injuries, with Ten Hag confirming on Sunday before his dismissal that the England full-back has suffered a “setback” in his recovery from a calf issue.
Full-back Noussair Mazraoui was forced off with an apparent knee injury late on in United’s defeat at West Ham, but returned to feature in the midweek win so should be available for Sunday.
There may be good news for Van Nistelrooy regarding three of Shaw’s compatriots, with Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount all in contention to return to the squad.
1:21
Amorim promises Man United clarification after Sporting’s Friday game
Ruben Amorim says his future will be made clear after Sporting CP’s match with Estrela on Friday.
Chelsea
Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, has an almost fully-fit squad to choose from for the trip to the north west — only 19-year-old Omari Kellyman is unavailable to the Italian coach. The forward is yet to make his Chelsea debut after arriving from Aston Villa for £19 million this summer as he has struggled with a hamstring injury.
Jadon Sancho is also unavailable as league rules stipulate that he cannot play against his parent club. The 24-year-old joined Chelsea on loan from United on transfer deadline day in August.
Manager quotes:
Ruud van Nistelrooy speaking on Thursday about his future: “We will see but it is the contract situation I am in and my desire to help the club forward. I can speak to you about my side of the story and after, when the new manager is signing and conversations take place, we have to see how things develop.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy on the demise of Erik ten Hag’s tenure: “In the end, it is also clear in football that is the results and Erik also said, in pre-season we had new staff and all were very positive and all working hard to bring the club forward. There are things you can’t explain sometimes. I also remember the Brighton goal, we scored and then you concede the 2-1, so many games we felt we could get a better result, I’m talking Palace, West Ham, Porto, Fenerbahce but we also know it is about results and that is part of our job.”
Enzo Maresca speaking on Friday about seeing his former Malaga teammate Van Nistelrooy on the touchline: “I didn’t speak with Ruud. I will give him a big hug on Sunday before the game. He’s a fantastic guy, humble, very professional. I shared with him time when he was already finished but even then you could see how good he was.”
Enzo Maresca on the Man United’s appointment of Ruben Amorim: “All the best to him. If the people in charge took that decision, it’s because they think it’s the correct one. All the best to him and Manchester United.”
Fantasy watch:
After scoring 22 goals and providing 11 assists in his debut season at Chelsea, many onlookers expected Palmer’s output to regress slightly in his second year in west London. But nine gameweeks into the new season, fantasy managers who kept their faith in the Chelsea No. 20 have been rewarded — Palmer’s 79 points are bettered only by Mohamed Salah‘s 84.
Palmer’s £11.0m price tag is prohibitive but a move for the England international is appearing pivotal for a fantasy manager’s chances of finishing at the top of their respective leagues come May. A slightly less expensive option that could still bear fruit may be a move for forward Nicolas Jackson. The 23-year-old is valued at a relatively cheap £7.9m and with goals in each of his last two appearances, it seems as if the Jackson may have turned a corner in his Chelsea career.
With Van Nistelrooy’s style still a relative unknown, it is comparatively harder to second-guess United’s intentions on Sunday. That being said, Alejandro Garnacho seems to have displaced Marcus Rashford on the left wing in recent weeks and the 20-year-old should have scored twice in the first half against West Ham in Ten Hag’s last match in charge. The Argentina winger will hope to cause Chelsea right-back Reece James, recently back from an extended spell on the sidelines, plenty of problems at Old Trafford.
Stats:
Man United are 3-2-4 (W-D-L) through 9 Premier League games this season, the club’s worst start in any Premier League season and its worst in England’s top flight since also starting 3-2-4 in 1989-90.
Man United’s goal difference of -3 and its 8 goals scored are both the club’s worst marks through the first 9 games of a Premier League season.
Chelsea are winless in 11 consecutive fixtures at Old Trafford in all competitions (0-6-5; W-D-L) since its last victory there on May 5th, 2013.
Cole Palmer has 29 goals and 16 assists for Chelsea in the Premier League. He would be the first player in Chelsea’s Premier League history to score 30 goals before turning 23 years old, and his 16 PL assists for the club are tied with Arjen Robben and Eden Hazard for the most by any Chelsea player before their 23rd birthday.
Stats provided by ESPN’s Stats and Information Group
United – DLDWL
Only six teams have endured a worse start to the season Premier League table than United and heavy home defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham have highlighted their stuttering form.
It had been hoped that the 2-1 win over Brentford would prove the turning point for Ten Hag, but Sunday’s defeat in east London was the final straw for the club’s leadership. With just three wins from their opening nine matches, it has been a season to forget so far for United.
Chelsea – WWDLW
Maresca has had an impressive start to his Chelsea tenure, masterminding comprehensive victories over Wolves, West Ham and Brighton. However, Chelsea have found it more difficult to get the better of the best sides in the division, suffering defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool.
The weekend’s win over Newcastle, inspired once again by Palmer, was a timely reminder of Chelsea’s attacking firepower. Maresca has opted to use Palmer in a more central role compared to where the 22-year-old was operating under Mauricio Pochettino last season, and the move has allowed Chelsea to unpick deep-lying defences.
Palmer was an unused sub as Newcastle exacted some sense of revenge over Chelsea by winning 2-0 in the Carabao Cup in midweek, though the Italian coach made 11 changes to his starting side for the defeat so it shouldn’t bear much relation to Sunday’s tussle at Old Trafford.
Key questions:
Can Van Nistelrooy get off to a flying start in the league?
Ten Hag got his United tenure off to an inauspicious start when he lost 2-1 to Brighton in his first Premier League game in charge. With Amorim’s arrival in the United dugout looming, Van Nistelrooy will be keen to make an impression against Chelsea in the hope of retaining a senior role within the team when the Portuguese coach takes over.
A morale-boosting victory could kickstart United’s season and give Amorim a better platform from which to build while improving the Dutchman’s own coaching reputation.
Can Chelsea capitalise on United’s instability?
Maresca’s team have struggled against the traditional “big six” teams this season and, while United are not quite as daunting a prospect as the title challengers, they still have the ability to beat any team on their day — as proved by their triumph in the FA Cup final victory over Pep Guardiola’s City side.
While United may have worked quickly to secure Amorim’s spot in the dugout for later in November, they have had a whirlwind few days and Chelsea will be looking to cash in on the uncertainty around Van Nistelrooy’s future to extend their own impressive recent record.
Latest news:
– Man United name Rúben Amorim as new manager
– Van Nistelrooy would stay at Manchester United ‘in any capacity’
– Cole Palmer shrugs off Zola comparisons after Chelsea win