Chelsea vs Manchester United: Mourinho’s trusted lieutenant returns for visitors

Jose Mourinho takes his Manchester United side to Chelsea on Sunday seeking a huge improvement on their last Premier League visit to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea tanked United 4-0 in the corresponding fixture last season and went on to lift the league title in Antonio Conte’s first season in charge, while Mourinho was unable to guide United into the top four.

Much has changed since in the 12 months that has preceded that incredible result and now it is Conte that is under pressure following Chelsea’s stuttering start to their Premier League defence. Both sides are already playing catch up with Manchester City, who can open up a eight point lead at the top of the table by the time this match kicks off.

Both managers will welcome back key midfielders for Sunday’s clash in west London, with N’Golo Kante back in the reckoning for the home side after overcoming a hamstring injury that forced him to miss Chelsea’s shock 3-0 defeat to Roma in midweek.

Kante’s return will be a huge boost for the home side and you cannot underestimate his influence in the middle of the park for Conte’s side, particularly in the wake of their demise in Rome a few days ago.

However, Mourinho will also be able to call upon the services of one of his most trusted lieutenants after Marouane Fellaini was pictured travelling to London on Saturday with the rest of the United squad.

The Belgium international has missed United’s last six matches but is returning ahead of schedule after it was thought he’d be sidelined until after the international break. The 29-year-old has started in each of United’s last three league matches against Chelsea and might be thrown straight into the starting XI here, with Paul Pogba still sidelined for the away side.

Fellaini is expected to partner up with Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic in midfield, but the focus will firmly be on Matic, who faces off against Chelsea for the first time since swapping the Bridge for Old Trafford over the summer.

Much has been made of Chelsea’s decision to sell Matic to a direct rival and he will likely face off against Tiemoue Bakayoko, who was signed as his replacement over the summer.

While Mourinho has improved a lot of things at United since taking charge more than 12 months ago, his record away to the top six sides still needs work. The Portuguese has no wins in 10 attempts away to the top six sides in the Premier League since August 2015 and his teams have only managed to score on two occasions during that sequence.