Who: chelsea vs manchester united
What: English Premier League (EPL)
Where: Stamford Bridge, London, United Kingdom
When: Saturday, April 18 at 8 pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT, before our live text commentary stream.
Chelsea can tighten up the Premier League battle for UEFA Champions League qualification when they host third-placed Manchester United on Saturday, but to do so they will have to reverse a poor run of form.
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The Blues have won only one of their last five Premier League matches, increasing the pressure on manager Liam Rosenior in his first season in charge of the football club.
United suffered a crushing defeat at home to Leeds United last week and arrive with a string of injuries and suspensions that will leave them vulnerable for the first time under interim head coach Michael Carrick.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a game that could ignite a late-season scrap for the top five finishing places, providing a route to Europe’s top table next season.
How is the Premier League’s race for the Champions League?
Third-placed United will arrive at Stamford Bridge seven points behind sixth-placed Chelsea.
Fifth-placed Liverpool is four points ahead of the Blues, while Aston Villa, in fourth, are level on points with United but seven points behind the Red Devils on goal difference.
With Villa and Liverpool not playing until Sunday – at home to Sunderland and away to Everton respectively – a Chelsea win would narrow the gap between third and sixth to just four points for at least Saturday.
Four clubs, including Sunderland and Everton, are just two points behind Chelsea. A certain series of results throughout the weekend means that only six points can separate third to tenth place by the conclusion of this round of matches.
If close-race fans were particularly greedy, wins this weekend for Bournemouth and Fulham – 11th and 12th respectively – could mean the gap from third to 12th would be just eight points with five games to play.
As former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once said: “It’s a very bad time”.
Chelsea manager admits the clock is ticking for Champions League qualification
Rosenior has warned Chelsea that their bid to qualify for the Champions League hangs in the balance.
The Blues are on a disappointing run of one win from their last seven Premier League games, putting their hopes of reaching Europe’s elite club competition in jeopardy.
It has been more than six weeks since Chelsea last scored in the league, but Rosenior knows there is no time left to feel sorry for himself after last weekend’s 3-0 home defeat against Manchester City.
“As the season goes on, the fewer games you have left, the more important the games become,” Rosenior told reporters before the game.
“We have to take advantage of this moment. We’re running out of time.”
“We need to show that initiative on Saturday and play on the front foot and score points, which is still definitely possible.
“If I look at each game, I think it’s caused by a loss of concentration of focus in one moment which then spills over into the rest of the performance.
“What we have to do is manage the margins of the game a little better.”
Chelsea face fan protests ahead of Man Utd visit
A protest by Chelsea supporters is planned before the United game, reflecting growing discontent since owner Blucho’s takeover from Roman Abramovich almost four years ago.
Unless results improve drastically over the next few weeks, this season will be the first under the club’s American owners that the team’s league position has declined.
Rosenior’s situation is also likely to come under scrutiny after a disappointing start to his reign, which began in January when he arrived from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca.
Maresca left by mutual consent after indicating that there was not enough support from the owners.
Strasbourg is owned by Bluco, which led some fans to criticize Rosenior’s appointment and claim that he would be a puppet to the board, unlike the volatile Maresca.
“Every supporter has his own perspective,” Rosenior said. “Every supporter wants their club to perform well and win games. Our job, my job, is to deliver those results in the long term.”
What happened the last time Chelsea played Man Utd?
The reverse fixture at Old Trafford earlier this season resulted in the Red Devils winning 2–1 at Old Trafford.
After Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was dismissed in the fifth minute, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro gave the home team a two-goal lead at the break.
However, a late raid was seen in the final minutes of the first half, but Trevor Chalobah’s 80th-minute strike went in vain as United held on to win.
head to head
This will be the 199th meeting between the clubs, with United having won 81 matches and Chelsea emerging victorious on 56 occasions.
State Attack – Manchester United
United playmaker Bruno Fernandes is just three assists away from equaling the all-time record of 20 in a Premier League season.
chelsea team news
Chelsea manager Rosenior says midfielder Enzo Fernandez has returned to full training and is available for selection for the trip to Manchester United after being sidelined for disciplinary reasons.
The 25-year-old Argentine World Cup winner was left out of the squad for the 7-0 win over League One Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals and the 3-0 Premier League defeat to second-placed Manchester City at Stamford Bridge last week.
Fernandes, who was wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of the injured Reece James, had previously said he would assess his future after the World Cup and expressed his desire to stay in Madrid, for which he later apologised.
“Enzo has been with the group and is training very well,” Rosenior told reporters on Thursday. “So, it is business as usual in terms of selection for the game.
“In terms of his training, his application to training, Enzo has also been fantastic.”
Rosenior also provided updates on defender Trevoh Chalobah, who has not played since Chelsea’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, and on James, who has been sidelined since the defeat to Newcastle United in March.
“Trevoh trained today but not fully; it was a modified training,” Rosenior said. “We’ll make a decision on that, but he’s very close. Reece is a little further away.”
Chelsea’s predicted starting lineup
Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Hato, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; pedro
manchester united team news
United’s first-choice centre-backs Lisandro Martínez and Harry Maguire have both been suspended for the match.
Maguire was due to return from a one-game ban, but his suspension has been extended for an additional game due to inappropriate conduct after leaving the field against Bournemouth last month.
Fellow centre-back Matthijs de Ligt is still out with a back injury, while Koby Manu missed the defeat to Leeds with a knock and remains a doubt.
Manchester United’s predicted starting lineup
Lamens; Dalot, Yoro, Heaven, Shaw; Casemiro, Manu; Diallo, Fernandes, Cunha; mbeumo
