Chelsea
Reuters

Chelsea welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge in one of the biggest matches of the Premier League season so far.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 4pm GMT. Live coverage will be available on Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports HD 1 and Sky Sports 3D.

Overview

Chelsea had a fantastic start to their domestic season, winning seven out of eight league games played. Roberto Di Matteo's men are on top of the table, with 22 points - four ahead of Manchester United. The Blues will now be looking to extend their lead over the Red Devils to seven with a win but could be affected by a long trip to Ukraine in midweek, where they lost 1-2 to Shakhtar Donetsk, putting their Champions League title defence in the balance.

United come into the game sitting third in the league table after eight matches, with 18 points. Sir Alex Ferguson's side came back from 0-2 down against Sporting Braga in midweek, eventually winning the game 3-2. They will be keen to close the gap on Chelsea to one point with a win in this clash. Both teams know that a draw will be to the advantage of Manchester City, who trail Chelsea by just one point following their victory over Swansea City on Saturday 27 October.

The Red Devils have won four and lost none of the last five matches against Chelsea in all competitions. But United have also triumphed in just one of their last 12 trips to Stamford Bridge. The spotlight will be on the pre-match handshake, where Rio Ferdinand is set to shake hands with Ashley Cole, despite the England pair being embroiled in a racism row involving John Terry, earlier this season.

Manchester United
Reuters

Form Guide

Chelsea

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): L W W W W
  • Last result: Shakhtar Donetsk 2 - 1 Chelsea

Manchester United

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W W W L
  • Last Result: Manchester United 3 - 2 Sporting Braga

Team News

Chelsea: Frank Lampard has been sidelined for at least a fortnight with a calf problem, after the midfielder limped out of the midweek game. Terry will serve the second game of his four-match suspension, after the FA found the Blues skipper guilty of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand in a league fixture last year. Meanwhile, Marko Marin is available after recovering from injury issues.

Manchester United: Shinji Kagawa is facing a four-week spell on the sidelines with a knee injury picked up against Braga. Chris Smalling has returned to training after recovering from a broken metatarsal but Nemanja Vidic and Phil Jones remain sidelined. Anders Lindegaard is also a doubt with a thumb injury.

Possible Starting Line-ups

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole; Ramires, Mikel; Mata, Oscar, Hazard; Torres

Manchester United (4-4-1-1): de Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Cleverley, Young; Rooney; van Persie

Ukraine Manchester United FC