It`s a good moment for Hiddink to show-off his managerial abilities. He had the team under his supervision for a week now and had some impact on the way the players perform. After the draw against Watford which could have easily been a win, Chelsea are looking to take advantage of Manchester United’s poor form and secure 7 points out of 3 games. It is difficult to tell what will happen though as both teams lacked consistency throughout the season. The Blues seem to be on the right path right now but it’s still early to tell if letting Mourinho go was the absolute best decision Abramovich could have made.
It is always going to be hard to predict what the outcome of such a game will be. Even if Chelsea are 15th right now and Manchester were in the top 4, ambitions make players forget the Premier League standings or the previous games.
Even though it might sound strange, this fixture could be a fresh start for both sides. Speculation that LVG will be replaced might fade out if he manages to defeat Chelsea while a win from the Blues would give fans a bit more confidence in Hiddink who has seen a lot of banners that support Mourinho since he came to Stamford Bridge.
The bad news for Hiddink is that he is missing firepower. Just when he thought that Costa will be back, the Spaniard picked up a yellow card which got him suspended for the game against Manchester. Chelsea’s attack will probably be improvised with either Remy or Hazard being put in charge of scoring. None of the two impressed so you would expect to see Willian find the back of the net rather than the two. Even with all these worries, if history repeats itself, Chelsea should win against Manchester United. Out of the last 8 games, the Blues won 5 and haven’t lost at Old Trafford since 2011. It is not the time to step outside that line.
Predicted Line-up:
Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Matic; Willian, Hazard, Pedro; Remy