Shades of last season's Premier League clash at Old Trafford will be playing in the minds of the players ahead of yet another crunchy encounter. For Chelsea, this will be an opportunity to finally get vindication for the humiliation they suffered off the hands of the Red Devils in what was Frank Lampard's first game in charge as its new boss. A harsh lesson was inflicted on the Blues' legend as goals from Marcus Rashford x2, Anthony Martial and the debutant Daniel James, secured an emphatic 4-0 win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's brigade.
Indeed, the domination did not end there as the two teams will go on to meet again on three separate occasions before the conclusion of the 2019/2020 season. The reverse Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge went in favor of Manchester United once more, with the Red Devils clinching a 2-0 win to complete the double. This was after they had eliminated their London opponents from the Carabao Cup via a 2-1 away win. However, what would have been a historic fourth successive win for United was curbed in the FA Cup semi-finals with the Blues booking a final date with Arsenal, thanks to a 3-1 win.
In the end, the objective of the two clubs to secure Champions League football was achieved although they all had to leave it to the final day of the campaign to consolidate their spot. Having enjoyed successes in different dimensions, both Manchester United and Chelsea are out again to make a claim for the Premier League title. For the latter in particular, a new-look roster is at the disposal of Frank Lampard as a result of this summer's overhaul. As such, it will be interesting to see how they intend to finally discontinue the trend of recording one defeat after the other at Old Trafford.
After running away with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in what was Sir Alex Ferguson's last season in charge, Chelsea have failed to register a single Premier League win at the arena in over seven years. It bears mentioning that Frank Lampard captained that particular side as Juan Mata's goal proved to be the difference in the May 2013 encounter. There have been seven league matches played at the venue since then; three of which have been won by United with the remaining four games ending in draws.
As it is often keenly contested, the previous meetings between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford did not produce score lines with big margins. Last season's 4-0 victory on opening day was the Red Devils' biggest-ever Premier League win over the Blues in their backyard. Going into Saturday's game, the margins could potentially be bigger this time around considering the fact that the poor defenses of both sides have led to them conceding a lot of goals already after just five matchdays. Solskjaer's side, with a game in hand, have picked the ball out of their nets 12 times despite scoring nine. Relatively, the defensive woes of Frank Lampard's side still persist as they have conceded nine times and but have a 13 goal haul to supplement things.
It is evident that there will be all to play for when these two sides clash at Old Trafford on Saturday. As it is often the case, who will carry the day will be hugely dependent who will nail their game plan to perfection. With talent and big personalities in abundance, this tie is certainly one to look forward to this weekend.
