Chelsea v Manchester United Kick-off 12. 30, Sky Sports Main Event

How United can win Take advantage of Chelsea’s high line

We know how Chelsea will play so the most fascinating aspect of this match is how Jose Mourinho approaches it.

The assumption is that the Manchester United manager will try and lock the game down, but there are still ways he can hurt the hosts. The first of them is to take advantage of Chelsea’s high line, which they employ in order to dominate possession in the opposition half and win the ball higher up the pitch.

Under Antonio Conte, Chelsea sat deeper with a back three and a defensive midfield two in front. Maurizio Sarri’s centre-backs push way higher up the pitch – sometimes past the halfway line – while the full-backs get forward to provide width. If United can get the distribution right they have the pace to get in behind.

In the 0-0 draw at the London Stadium, West Ham United stayed compact in their own half and forced Chelsea around them, waiting for a chance to burst into attack through Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Michail Antonio. If Mourinho can get players like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford (left) in positions to counter-attack, there is every chance they exploit these situations. Romelu Lukaku is quick, too, and can offer an attacking out-ball over the top for United’s defenders when they need to get it up the park.

Take care of Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard has been given licence to roam from his left inside-forward starting position and has taken control of games doing so, to the point that Sarri upped his opinion from “good player” to “one of the best in Europe” in a few months.

Marcos Alonso’s tendency to overlap and attack wide left gives Hazard the option of moving inside the pitch, but he does not stay confined to any particular area. In past games United have switched to a back three specifically to shut Hazard (right) down and had one player – usually Ander Herrera – stay touch-tight to him throughout.

But if the Belgian roams as much as he did against West Ham United, doing this would have devastating effects on United’s defensive shape, leaving them vulnerable in countless other situations. They cannot become obsessed with Hazard as it could cost them elsewhere.

Manage the game intelligently

A little risk vs Sarri’s teams can often yield rewards – they are sometimes left vulnerable at the back for the exact same reason they pose so much threat going forward. Expect a mix of a defensive 4-5-1 and a 4-3-3 in attack that will look to force mistakes for a perfect smash-and-grab. One other point – United’s players are far taller than Chelsea’s. The aerial battle could be key.