Despite the rich history and status of a traditional English club, Chelsea really started to grow only with the arrival of Roman Abramovich in 2003. Money was pouring in from all directions and managers like Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti had the opportunity to bring whoever they wanted, but it was not easy for Chelsea to gain the status of a Premier League giant alongside England’s the most popular duo – Manchester United who were in their back then and Liverpool with their trophies and huge tradition.That is why the duels against United or Liverpool at Stamford Bridge have always carried a special weight. Today – the super-confident Blues welcome the stumbling Red Devils at the Bridge.One, two, three, four… stop the count! And count this Liverpool as a top contender for the EPL titleChelsea has grown into one of the most successful clubs since the beginning of the third millennium, and if we look at the current moment, Thomas Tuchel has set up a team to grind down Manchester United and definitely confirm their candidacy for the crown. With one blow, he would send United’s sense of superiority into history, considering that in the previous five occasions, the club from Manchester returned home with three victories and two draws.Chelsea’s beating of Juventus without Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz, and with N’Golo Kante who came out of play at half time, is the best indicator of what could happen to Michael Carrick’s crew.On the other hand, since the end of the Sir Alex Ferguson golden era, Manchester United has turned into a faded empire, weakened and often humiliated. Last week’s debacle against Watford was a decisive moment for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and while the signature of Ralph Rangnick is officially awaited, Carrick could hardly have imagined a more serious match for the end of his interim episode. After a long reign over English football, United came to a point that everyone at the club would accept one point at Stamford Bridge, only not to face the currently most diverse team in the Premier League.The Gunners get back on track with a sure win, laughable miss by Aubameyang to fill the highlights reelThe triumph over Villarreal in the Champions League did leave Carrick and the players little room to breathe, for Chelsea it is imperative to show how much more powerful, playful and more convincing team they are than Manchester United.Chelsea are not just an attacking team – everything starts with their fantastic defense that has allowed only four goals in the previous twelve Premier League games. Manchester United allowed the same number to Watford. For the Devils, the most frightening thing is probably that some games, or specifically the one at Vicarage Road, would have ended with even more goals conceded, if it weren’t for David de Gea.From this perspective, it seems that the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford only ruined Solskjaer’s plans because the team is designed to fit the needs of one man. This best seen example is Bruno Fernandez, who has completely lost his flair since his compatriot entered the locker room. Ronaldo’s 10 goals in 15 games are worthy of respect, but the lack of balance and real tactical ideas are increasingly worrying United and everyone in and around the club.Ex-Chelsea defender urges the club to tie Rudiger and Christensen with new improved contractsSolskjaer paid the price, not only because of that, but also because he was not able to fix the defensive inconsistency. The defense is seriously shaken by repeating mistakes of captain Harry Maguire, who is close to being stripped off the skipper’s armband. His closest comrades are not performing any better either, and on the day of the visit to the team that has everything, the Red Devils’ backline is threatened with being smashed to pieces again. Especially because Eric Baily and Victor Lindelof are expected to be in the starting line-up, given that Maguire has to run off his red card suspension. Scott McTominey could potentially jump in, it all depends on whether Carrick will go with two or three centre defenders. Regardless, United’s defense is the biggest chance for Chelsea.Meet the guy who will make Ronaldo and Pogba play ‘gegenpressing’The loss of Ben Chillwell for Chelsea is serious and the English national team player will not come back soon after his ACL rupture was confirmed. However, Tuchel has quite enough players in the rotation to be able to make up for even such an absence. Whether by Marcos Alonso or Cesar Azpilicueta, there is almost no difference, because both of them meet the high requirements of the German expert.The news that Romelu Lukaku could return to the pitch today is attracting additional attention. The eyes of the football public are focused on the Belgian, who was not respected enough at the Theater of Dreams and was generally labeled as obese and sluggish for English football during his stay in Manchester. If given the chance Lukaku will surely look for a way to take revenge on the former club for the way he was treated. It could potentially be a double-edged sword for Chelsea, which is why it is a great responsibility for Tuchel to carefully introduce him back to the team and not allow for him to be swallowed up by the idea of a defensive approach that would definitely ruin the game.Ralf Rangnick will probably be in the VIP box of Stamford Bridge, and there he will probably attend a lecture on “What’s wrong with Manchester United”. It all depends on Chelsea, because if they open up the match the way they did against Juventus, the Red Devils will have a dire evening in London.PREMIER LEAGUE – ROUND 13SaturdayArsenal – Newcastle 2-0 (0-0)/Saka 56, Martinelli 66/Liverpool – Southampton 4-0 (3-0)/Jota 2, 32, Alcantara 37, Van Dijk 52/Crystal Palace – Aston Villa 1-2 (0-1)/Guehi 90+5 – Targett 15, McGinn 86/Norwich – Wolverhampton 0-0Brighton – Leeds 0-0Sunday17:00: (2.40) Brentford (3.25) Everton (3.30)17:00: (1.65) Leicester (4.00) Watford (5.80)17:00: (3.90) Burnley (3.50) Tottenham (2.05)17:00: (1.32) Man.City (5.90) West Ham (10.0)19:30: (1.62) Chelsea (4.00) Man.Utd. (6.25)
