Chelsea play host to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge tomorrow night in what is expected to be a thrilling Premier League encounter. The Blues lost to Erik Ten Hag's men 2-1 last time out in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford. Chelsea suffered a further setback in their quest to secure European participation for the upcoming campaign when they were held to a 2-2 home draw by the relegation-threatened Burnley 10 men last weekend. Cole Palmer's first-half goal, which he scored shortly after Burnley's Lorenz Assignon was sent off, was canceled out by Josh Cullen two minutes into the half. However, the Chelsea player struck again in the 78th minute to give the Blues the lead again. Three minutes later, Dara O'Shea headed home Cullen's corner to salvage a crucial point for the visitors at Stamford Bridge, giving the Clarets the last laugh. 

Argentine tactician Mauricio Pochettino admitted after the game that his side lacked 'heart and head' and were "missing something" in what he deemed a "must-win" match against Burnley. Chelsea are languishing at the 11th position with only 11 victories in their last 28 Premier League fixtures. They are now four points behind the top seven and eight points apart of Manchester United. One key contributor to the Blues' inconsistent campaign is defensive frailties which has seen them fail to keep a clean sheet in their last 11 games across all competitions conceding 22 goals in the process. However, a run of five wins in seven Premier League home games sits well with them heading into tomorrow's duel. Their recent record against the Red Devils, however, leaves a lot to be desired as they have failed to secure a victory in any of their last 12 EPL meetings. The last win Chelsea recorded against Manchester United was the 1-0 victory in 2017 courtesy of Alvaro Morata's goal. They have never enjoyed any top-flight success against the Red Devils since then.

Manchester United played out a 1-1 stalemate against Brentford last weekend as they failed to follow up on their FA Cup victory against Liverpool that saw them advance to the tournament's semifinals where they will be facing Coventry. United's weekend contest was goalless until Mason Mount scored what appeared to be the game-decider in the 6th minute of injury time before Kristoffer Ajer netted a dramatic equalizer in the 99th minute of the game. Manager Erik Ten Hag criticized his side and admitted that they did not deserve to win. The Red Devils are now eight points adrift of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspurs and they face the danger of missing out on next season's  UEFA Champions League competition. 

United now face back-to-back league fixtures against Chelsea and league leaders Liverpool. They now travel to London tomorrow having won only one of their last nine top-flight away games against London-based opposition, losing four of their last six during this run. Manchester United are, however, unbeaten in their last five EPL visits to Stamford Bridge and aiming to win three consecutive matches against Chelsea for the first time since 1965. A win tomorrow will also see the Red Devils complete a league double against Mauricio Pochettino's men since the 2019-2020 campaign. 

(Image: Khel Now)