Predicted Manchester United lineup against Chelsea: Bailly in for Maguire; Rashford, Fernandes return

Eric Bailly should replace the suspended Harry Maguire while Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford ought to start when Manchester United face Chelsea on Sunday.

Manchester United will be gunning for their second win under caretaker boss Michael Carrick when they travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in the Premier League.

With the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager looming, this could be Carrick’s last game in charge as the caretaker. Ahead of the contest in London, the Red Devils have no new injury concerns, but they will have to make do without several important first-team members for the trip.

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Captain Harry Maguire is suspended after being sent off in the defeat to Watford last week. Raphael Varane and Paul Pogba are sidelined with injuries while Mason Greenwood is recovering from coronavirus. Luke Shaw is also a major doubt after he picked up a concussion earlier this month, while Edinson Cavani could miss out as well.

Providing an update on the roster in his pre-match presser, Carrick said, “We’ve got two or three different little issues where we’re waiting. It’s never ideal. You want a full squad to pick from. There is one or two that we’re kind of waiting on. Luke took a bang on the head, we’re assessing him and we’ll make a call on how he is.”

There are likely to be a few changes made to the team that started the midweek clash against Villarreal. To start off with, Eric Bailly is expected to replace the suspended Harry Maguire at the heart of the Manchester United defence against Chelsea. He will pair up with Eric Bailly, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Alex Telles hold on to their spots at full-back. David de Gea ought to continue in goal.

Moving into the midfield department, there are some concerns regarding Fred’s condition after he seemingly twisted his ankle in the midweek game. “Fred twisted his ankle. He managed to carry on and see the game out, which is pretty incredible. He played a big part in us winning. We’ll have to see how that works out. We’ll be strong and look forward to the game,” Carrick revealed in his presser.

Given the importance of the contest, Fred is likely to be included in the lineup against the Blues. He should pair up with Scott McTominay in the middle of the park. Bruno Fernandes, who was a surprise exclusion in the midweek game against Villarreal, should return to the side, replacing Donny van de Beek in the No. 10 role.

Jadon Sancho, who scored his first goal for Manchester United in that clash, should get another run-out on the right flank in Greenwood’s absence. Anthony Martial, however, is expected to drop out of the side, paving the way for Marcus Rashford to feature from kickoff on the left-wing. Finally, there is no looking past Cristiano Ronaldo in the centre-forward slot for the visitors against Chelsea.

Manchester United Predicted XI: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Bailly, Telles, McTominay, Fred, Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford, Ronaldo