Five areas where Chelsea vs Man United could be won and lost

The pick of the bunch in the Premier League this weekend sees and collide in a fascinating battle between two revived Big Six giants at Stamford Bridge.

Both clubs have found their feet under new managers of late. is finally stamping his identity on United, with Wednesday’s 2-0 win over solidifying their status as top-four contenders, while Graham Potter is still yet to taste defeat as Blues boss and has picked up five straight clean sheets in all competitions.

Potter’s men currently sit one point clear of their opponents in fourth, too, meaning the Red Devils will be desperate to claim victory and climb above them into the Champions League places.

Their meeting on Saturday night therefore promises to be an intriguing one, but who will come out on top? 

Sportsmail has taken a look at five areas where Chelsea and United’s showdown could be won and lost. 

Big test for Blues backline

Since replacing Thomas Tuchel as head coach last month, Potter’s first big triumph at Chelsea has been shoring up a leaky defence which had conceded ten goals and kept just one clean sheet in the seven games prior to his arrival.

In the early stages of his tenure it has been a different story for the Blues. After seven matches under their new boss, they have shipped in just two goals while registering five clean sheets on the bounce.

However, it can be argued that Potter’s defensive formula has not yet been proven against top-class opposition, with AC Milan proving surprisingly inferior over the course of their two recent Champions League encounters. 

As far as the Premier League goes, tenth-placed Brentford are the best side he has faced up to this point.

Thus, Saturday’s meeting with United represents his toughest test so far at Stamford Bridge, and the most challenging for his watertight backline.

Ten Hag’s men will almost certainly sit back and look to sting them on the counter as they did in victories over Liverpool and Arsenal earlier this season, with the pace of Antony, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford likely to pose a serious threat.

United were more on the front foot in Wednesday’s win against Spurs, though that came down to Antonio Conte being the more eager of the two coaches to lie deep and hit on the break.

That is not the way Potter goes about his business. In contrast, Chelsea will take the game to the visitors on their own turf while attempting to thwart any potential counters. How well they get on with the latter objective could be pivotal.