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Feb 25, 2018 at 2.05pm UK
 
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Lukaku (39'), Lingard (75')
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Combined XI: Manchester United vs. Chelsea

:Headline: Combined XI: Manchester United vs. Chelsea: ID:319364: from db_amp
Ahead of Sunday's Premier League showdown between Manchester United and Chelsea, Sports Mole selects a combined XI from both squads.

Two of the Premier League's top four will face off this weekend when Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho welcomes former club Chelsea to Old Trafford.

It is a match as intriguing off the field as on it, with Mourinho having been embroiled in a bitter war of words with Chelsea counterpart Antonio Conte in recent months.

The pair will attempt to tactically outclass each other on Sunday as both teams look to recover from some stuttering form of late, with only three points now separating the two sides in the Premier League table.

Here Sports Mole selects a combined XI from both squads, using only players available for this weekend.



This match will see two of the league's best goalkeepers on show, but even considering the quality of Thibaut Courtois it is a fairly simple decision to select David de Gea between the sticks. The Spaniard once again showed why he is considered by many to be the best in the world this week and it is difficult to think of a combined XI he would fail to get into.

The Chelsea system of three at the back is chosen as the formation for this team, and Cesar Azpilicueta's inclusion - like that of compatriot De Gea - is an easy one. The likes of Andreas Christensen, Gary Cahill, David Luiz, Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling all provide competition in a difficult area of the field to choose, but we have gone for Eric Bailly and Antonio Rudiger. Rudiger has been impressive during his debut season in English football and narrowly beats his teammates to a place in the team, whereas Bailly has now returned from injury and United fans will be desperate to see him back starting as soon as possible following some questionable defensive displays of late.

Marcos Alonso's seven goals this season help to make him a shoo-in for the left wing-back slot ahead of Ashley Young of United, but the Red Devils do provide the width on the opposite flank as Antonio Valencia sees off competition from Victor Moses.

It is an all-French midfield duo, with Paul Pogba earning a spot despite his recent dip in form - which has led to him being dropped twice and subbed off twice in his last four games. For all of the talk of a breakdown in his relationship with Mourinho, though, Pogba remains one of the most gifted midfielders in the division - as his tally of nine assists is testament to. Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas both lay strong claims to a place in the team too, but we need a defensive midfielder and they don't come any better than N'Golo Kante in that position right now.

A star-studded front three sees United new boy Alexis Sanchez selected on the left, having scored once in his six appearances for the club so far and shown plenty of signs which will encourage the United fans. Eden Hazard is another sure-fire pick ahead of the likes of Willian, Pedro, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata, with the Belgian having scored six goals and created two more in his last seven appearances.

The biggest question mark comes up front, where Romelu Lukaku has been given the nod ahead of Alvaro Morata, who was left on the bench in the midweek Champions League game against Barcelona. Both have struggled to live up to their price tags so far this season, while Lukaku in particular has been criticised for failing to turn up in the biggest games, but he has outscored Morata by eight goals across all competitions this season, which earns him a place.


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2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
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6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
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19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416
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