One of the most anticipated clashes of the English Premier League (EPL), Chelsea vs Manchester United, will take place at the Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
United have played good football in their last couple of games against Derby County in the FA Cup and against Stoke City in the midweek fixture of the EPL last Tuesday.
The Red Devils must have gathered a lot of confidence from these two games, as they played arguably their best free-flowing United style of football in these two matches of the ongoing season.
United have not been able to beat Chelsea in their last six Premier League meetings. Also, the Blues of the Stamford Bridge have not seen the face of defeat ever since interim manager Guus Hiddink has taken over from Jose Mourinho.
A victory against Chelsea wil narrow down the point difference between the top four in the table and Manchester United. The Red Devils are currently placed in the fifth position in the Premier League table.
Meanhwhile, defending champions Chelsea have had a poor season so far. They are 13th in the table and are trying to climb up ever since Hiddink replaced Mourinho, and have been undefeated across all competitions since then.
A win against their league rivals United at home will give Hiddink and his men a much-needed boost ahead of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, which is set to start next week.
"This is a big match. Big clubs through the years, both Manchester United and us like to compete for the title. They have under-performed and we are getting back on track a little bit," Hiddink told reporters at the pre-match press conference.
Van Gaal on the other hand is impressed with the way his boys have been playing recently. He knows the magnitude of this match and is confident that United will secure three points from their clash against Chelsea.
United can also bank on the form of Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial and Juan Mata, who have been in real good form. Rooney has scored in almost all the matches for United in 2016.
"It's very important that we dare to play in every position and that we give options to the player who has the ball," Van Gaal was quoted as saying by MUTV.
"That's very important and I hope that we can show it. Then we can win and we can beat Chelsea. It shall give us a big boost if we beat Chelsea at their home."
Probable Lineups:
Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Terry, Zouma, Azpiliceuta; Mikel, Matic; Willian, Fabregas, Hazard; Costa.
Manchester United: De Gea; Darmian, Blind, Smalling, Borthwick-Jackson; Schneiderlin, Carrick; Lingard, Mata, Martial; Rooney.
Where to Watch Live
Chelsea vs Manchester United is scheduled for an 4 p.m. GMT (11 a.m. ET, 9:30 p.m. IST) start. Live TV coverage of the match in India will be on Star Sports 4 and Star Sports HD 4, while the match can also be watched via live streaming online on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
Fans in the UK can watch Chelsea vs Manchester United live on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD1. The live streaming option will be available on Watch Sky Sports.
NBC Sports Network and Westwood One Sports will broadcast the EPL game between Chelsea and Manchester United live in the US, while the action can also be live streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra.
Audience in Canada can watch the action live on Sportsnet One and stream the EPL encounter live on Sportsnet World Now.
Australia viewers can watch the EPL game Chelsea vs Manchester United live on Fox Sports 4 and HD 4, while the online live streaming options are on Fox Sports On Demand and Foxtel Play.
Middle-East viewers can watch Chelsea vs Manchester United live on beInSports Arabia HD 2 and HD 11. The live streaming options will be available on beInsports Connect.
Le TV in China will broadcast Chelsea vs Manchster United live.
Football fans in Singapore can catch the live action of Chelsea vs Manchester United on 102 (HD) mio Stadium.
Sub-Saharan countries can watch the EPL encounter live on SuperSport 3.
MUTV Online and Chelsea TV will stream the game live across the globe.
