Louis van Gaal's Manchester United take on Jose Mourinho's Chelsea this weekend in a blockbuster Premier League clash.
The hosts are ominous at home and will hope to continue their excellent recent record but know they face the best side in the division and three points won't be easy to attain.
Let's take a look at this game from a tactical point of view.
Manchester United Setup
Van Gaal has confirmed to The Manchester Evening News that Angel Di Maria is fit to play against Chelsea, while Ander Herrera has recovered from a knock, too. Michael Carrick won't return in time and is scheduled to play for the U-21 side on Friday in an effort to step up his fitness.
United were forced to move to a 4-3-3 against West Bromwich Albion due to Wayne Rooney's absence and Radamel Falcao's jadedness, but there's no reason why they can't play the diamond with Falcao from the start here.
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Possible United XI.
Rooney is still suspended, but the Colombian can line up alongside Robin van Persie. Elsewhere, it's unlikely much will change due to the sheer number of injuries the Red Devils are carrying.
Chelsea Setup
The big question mark for Chelsea surrounds Diego Costa's fitness. Having previously been ruled out of the game, Mourinho has now told The Daily Mail that the Spaniard has a "chance" of lining up at Old Trafford:
"There is a chance, he [Costa] has a little chance, the same as Ramires and [John Obi] Mikel. But [Loic] Remy is out—he will not play. He has no chance."
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Possible Chelsea XI.
With Ramires and Mikel question marks too, it's possible Mourinho can't switch to a more defensive 4-3-3 even if he wants to. At times he takes a more reserved approach in the "big" games, but here it seems as though he'll go full flow.
If Costa misses the game, too, Didier Drogba or Andre Schurrle will lead the line with young Dom Solanke on the bench. Filipe Luis will replace Cesar Azpilicueta.
Key Point 1: Testing Fabregas' Defensive Ability
No one has really "got at" Chelsea this season bar Swansea City's 45-minute effort early on in the season. The 4-2-3-1 Mourinho uses is stellar in the offensive phase, but if a team shows a little willingness and bravery, they can find some joy in the middle against this Blues side.
The reason for that is simple: Fabregas, as fantastic as he is, leaves Nemanja Matic exposed by drifting ahead of the ball and leaving the two-man pivot the formation is built on.
Matic is as good as it gets in there, but no single man can do it all alone for 90 minutes. If Manchester United can tempt Fabregas forward to press and then spring the ball to Di Maria, the Argentine could see opportunities to gallop into space and take on Matic one vs. one.
Fabian Delph dribbled the Serbian dizzy last season, and Di Maria is an even quicker, more dynamic and more explosive threat than the Aston Villa man. Let's see this midfield tested.
Key Point 2: Chelsea Sans Costa
Chelsea have been dominating games with and without Costa.
Without him they managed 62.9 percent possession against Crystal Palace, per WhoScored.com, and showed few differences in their build-up play to the 60.3 percent gained against Leicester City when he did play.
The difference is the nature of chances of created, and without him or Remy, Fabregas' usual killer passes between the centre-backs and full-backs will go to waste.
Drogba and Schurrle are capable stand-ins, but it necessitates a change in how the Blues build attacks and could see them become less proficient at cleanly moving through the transitions when breaking from defence.
Drogba will thrive on balls into his chest and feet, not ones to run on to, and Schurrle's "technique" as a striker is still very much unrefined due to him playing wide so often.
Mourinho's men will need to tweak their approach a little if Costa misses this one, but what exactly will they do?
By Sam Tighe, World Football Tactics Lead Writer
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