Louis van Gaal thinks if Manchester United can take all three points against Chelsea then winning the Premier League title is possible.
United travel to Stamford Bridge on the back of two consecutive wins that has seen them score six goals, showing vast improvement after they had come under much criticism for their style of play.
Van Gaal said in his pre-match press conference: “I feel that if we beat Chelsea, then I think our competition and our league shall start again, and that is very important.
“The competition is still not finished. It is not finished for Manchester United and not for the other teams.”
United are not expected to even come close to the title, therefore, van Gaal’s show of optimism is likely to be a statement aimed at appealing to the United supporters, as they sit fifth in the Premier League, ten points behind Leicester City who lead the way on 50 points.
United form improving
The red devil’s recent good form has seen them progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup after beating Derby County, as well as comfortably beating Stoke City 3-0 in midweek, producing a performance likened to the United of old as they counter-attacked brilliantly.
Van Gaal will urge his team to produce a similar display against an unpredictable Chelsea side, who sit 13th in the league and come into the game after drawing 0-0 with Watford in midweek.
Current Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink said ahead of the game: “This is a big match. Big clubs through the years, both Manchester United and us like to compete for the title.
“They have underperformed and we are getting back on track a little bit.”
Previous meetings
The two sides last met back in December in a goalless draw when both teams were battling through a difficult period.
There shouldn’t be many goals expected in this tie after just 3 goals have been scored in the previous 3 meetings between the two clubs.
United have not won at Stamford Bridge since October 2012 when Javier Hernandez notched the winner in a dramatic game which saw the blues reduced to nine-men. The tie has thrown up 4 red cards out of the last 5 Premier League meetings.
Team news
United are expected to be unchanged from the side that beat Stoke last time out, as Bastian Schweinsteiger, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones, Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia remain sidelined through injury, although all players are progressing well in their rehabilitation.
As for the home side, Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao will miss out, whilst Pedro and new signing Alexandre Pato remain doubts for the tie.