(Getty)
It was already going to be tough for Manchester United to step onto the pitch at Stamford Bridge and beat Chelsea, but an absence at the striker position will make Monday’s meeting even tougher.
Zlatan is banned. Rashford and Martial are out. And after injuring his leg in training, Wayne Rooney will also sit for United’s FA Cup semifinal clash.
That matters not for Chelsea, who are 12 games unbeaten at home and looking like the class of England. The Blues destroyed United in their last visit, winning 4-0 in October. That game started with a goal from Pedro inside the first minute, and Chelsea’s defense kept the clean sheet to spoil Mourinho’s return.
Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte are two of the most respected men in the sport, and there is no bad blood between them.
“For sure, I hope in the future to emulate his wins here,” the new manager said of the old last week. “I think Jose Mourinho wrote a good part of the history of Chelsea. He won a lot with the players. He did a great job here – it’s important, always, not to forget this.”
Here are the basics:
DATE: Monday, March 13, 2017
CHANNEL: Fox Sports 1
KICKOFF TIME: 3:45 p.m. Eastern
LOCATION: Stamford Bridge
LIVE STREAM: Click here for all the live stream information
LINEUPS
Manchester United: De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Rojo, Darmian, Herrera, Pogba, Young, Mkhitaryan, Rashford
Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill, Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso, Willian, Costa, Hazard
Find out how to watch this match in Spanish at AhoraMismo.com: