3 Key Battles (Chelsea vs. Manchester United): Terry vs Rooney, And More

Chelsea vs. Manchester United: 3 Key Battles

Chelsea gear up to face one of their toughest opponents during the weekend with a high voltage game against Manchester United. While the Blues will have to deal with Watford before taking on Louis van Gaal’s Devils, it will be a test for Guus Hiddink as to how far his Chelsea team have come under the Dutch manager, it will also be a reality check for Manchester United fans who saw their team brush aside Stoke City in impressive fashion during the midweek fixtures.

Surely the 3-0 win over Stoke City has to be United’s best result this season, if not the result, at least the performance was incredible. Chelsea though are slowly but surely headed on the right track and will hope for a good performance in front of the home crowd as the last game between these two teams ended goalless but the onus would be on United as they hope to close the gap to stumbling Arsenal and get that fourth Champions League spot somehow.

Chelsea and United are somewhat in decent form and it would be a real test to see who comes out on top. We look ahead to this tasty encounter and list the three key battles for the game.

1. John Terry vs. Wayne Rooney

So much for the doubters about Wayne Rooney’s goal scoring record, he should easily become Manchester United’s leading goal scorer overall after bagging another one against Stoke City. He would be looking to continue his fine form against Chelsea though and could come up against an old adversary.

John Terry could be playing his last match against Manchester United in the Premier League as he has been rumoured to leave the club come the end of the season and he would want to put up a  superlative effort not only to shut the English striker down but also to showcase why he is considered a legend at Chelsea and in England.

2. Branislav Ivanovic vs. Anthony Martial

Anthony Martial seems to have it to score impressive goals, he did the same against Liverpool earlier in his career at Manchester United and did something similar against Stoke as well. His pace would be a threat for any defence, especially for one that is as slow as Chelsea’s.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Louis van Gaal starts Martial in the same side of the pitch as Branislav Ivanovic. The Serbian might have saved his season by putting in a few good performances lately but going up against the pace of Martial would be something else and Ivanovic would have to be at his crafty best to keep a lid on the sprightly French forward.

3. Oscar vs. Morgan Schneiderlin

The Brazilian scored a hat-trick against MK Dons in the FA Cup and seems to be the other South American having a good season at the club. Oscar would be a threat to the Manchester United defence and his runs and link up play with Diego Costa or the other wingers would be crucial for the Blues.

In his way would stand the French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, he might not have hit the heights that he achieved at Southampton but he would be crucial to the game if United are to keep a clean sheet and ensure they have the best chance of winning the game.