Chelsea vs Manchester United

TEAM NEWS
Chelsea are hopeful striker Loic Remy will be fit after he
missed the QPR match with a calf injury.
Diego Costa is still absent but could return against Arsenal next
week.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is without the injured
quartet of Michael Carrick, Daley Blind, Phil Jones and Marcos
Rojo.
Jonny Evans is suspended, so Chris Smalling, Paddy McNair and
Tyler Blackett are the club's only available central defenders.
MATCH PREVIEW
Even before a ball is kicked, the title seems to have moved closer
to being clinched by Chelsea.
Manchester United's derby win last weekend has come at a cost,
with Phil Jones, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Michael Carrick all
ruled out of the action at Stamford Bridge.
Of that quartet, the loss of Carrick may be the most keenly felt, with
United having won 12 and lost only one of the 16 Premier League
games he's started this season. There's also the possible knock-
on effect of having to move Wayne Rooney back from his striking
position to cover.None of that is to say that bang in-form United CAN'T win of
course, but it surely seems less likely, with Chelsea having not
lost a home league game for one year.
Only Bradford have beaten the Blues at the Bridge this season ,
with Jose Mourinho's side boasting the only undefeated home
record in the top eight tiers of English football - encompassing 16
leagues!
Their football hasn't been scintillating of late - all of their last six
league wins have been by a single goal - but it's often said that
the mark of a good side is one that wins when not playing well,
and Chelsea are winning.
It's now almost undoubtedly a question of when they win the
league, not if, and on collecting his third Premier League title (in
three games time if they win them all) Mourinho might raise a
glass to the man who'll be in the other technical area for this one.
In the late 1990s, whilst others doubted his worth to the Barcelona
backroom team, Louis van Gaal not only kept the Portuguese on
but promoted him to first-team coaching duties.
The rest, as they say, is history.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last four league matches against
Manchester United, conceding just two goals.
The Blues are the only team to have beaten United more often in
the Premier League (15) than they have lost (13), with 17 matches
drawn.
Manchester United have won only six of their last 23 league
games against Chelsea.
The Red Devils have won just five times at Stamford Bridge in
the Premier League, including once since 2002 (3-2 in October
2012).
Five players have been sent off in the last five league meetings:
three for Chelsea (Branislav Ivanovic twice and Fernando Torres)
and two for United (Nemanja Vidic and Rafael).
Chelsea
Chelsea's last home defeat in the Premier League came almost
exactly a year ago, against Sunderland on 19 April.
Cesc Fabregas' winning goal against QPR last weekend was
Chelsea's only shot on target in the match. It was only the 14th
time since 2003 that they have recorded no more than one shot on
target in a Premier League game.
That goal was Chelsea's 100th of the season in 47 matches
across all competitions.
They have only failed to score in one league match all season -
away at Sunderland in November.
Manchester United
Manchester United have 65 points so far this season, one more
than they collected in the whole of 2013-14.
Only Arsenal have won more league points in 2015 than the 29
by Louis van Gaal's side.
United have only conceded more than one goal in a league
match on five occasions this season, and just once have they let in
more than two goals - the 5-3 defeat at Leicester.
Only Barcelona (52), Real Madrid (49) and Bayern Munich (43)
have scored more home league goals than Manchester United (40)
this season in Europe's top five leagues, but the Red Devils have
managed just 19 goals in 15 away games.
Chris Smalling has scored four league goals this season (as
many as Danny Welbeck), having scored just twice in 88 Premier
League matches before this campaign.