Man Utd’s surging form represented in Chelsea mix ‘n’ match XI
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Had Chelsea and Manchester United’s paths intertwined earlier in the season, say one month ago, then a possible mash up of the two relative squads would have been flooded with Chelsea blue.
But, as the Red Devils have wound the clock back in recent weeks to look as dangerous as they ever did under Sir Alex Ferguson, their surging form has seen some of their number edge out Stamford Bridge men having storming seasons.
With four wins on the bounce for the Old Trafford mob, with three of them coming against Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City, the 3/1 about Louis Van Gaal’s side claiming victory in west London looks peachy.
Add in a 6-5 win in United’s favour from the below combined XI and there really isn’t any reason not to back the visitors for Saturday evening glory.
David de Gea vs Thibaut Courtois was a close fight, but the Spaniard came out on top by virtue of his many game-saving performances between the sticks.
Phil Jones is the wiry stopper’s lone teammate in the back five, with Cesar Azpilicueta, John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic giving the unit a distinctly blue feel.
It’s in midfield where the first bone of contention comes, as Michael Carrick deposes Cesc Fabregas in the deep-lying playmaker role. Early on in the season the Spaniard would have walked into this XI, his going off the boil combined with Carrick’s resurgent serenity sees the Red Devil get the nod.
Nemanja Matic’s position as the undisputed champion of anchormen makes his an easy inclusion, while United still have no player worthy of lacing Eden Hazard’s boots on the left.
The final three positions are all red and are selected because of superior form. Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini have been the poster boys of Van Gaal’s mini revolution in recent weeks, while Wayne Rooney has found the net more often than early pace-setter Diego Costa of late too.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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