The Blues have lost their last three Premier League away games by a combined 12 goals, following up a 2-0 loss at Arsenal and a 4-0 reverse at Bournemouth with a crushing 6-0 defeat against Man City – their heaviest defeat since going down 7-0 at Nottingham Forest in April 1991.Three wins from three will be the target for Sarri, who admitted earlier this week that he has not had any sort of contact with absent owner Roman Abramovich, despite a disappointing run that has seen the Blues go nearly two months since last winning back-to-back league matches.
The Red Devils now have a chance to prove exactly what they are made of by responding in the best manner possible on Monday. After winning 10 and drawing one of their previous 11 matches, there can be no denying that the feel-good factor is back at Old Trafford.Exiting the FA Cup really would be a massive blow for Solskjaer, who would happily take on the job full-time if offered to him, but he can at least fall back on United’s incredible rise up the Premier League table.From 11 points adrift of Chelsea when losing 3-1 to Liverpool in Mourinho’s final game on December 16, the Premier League’s most successful side are now a point better off than their opponents in fourth place.
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Chelsea lineup:
Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Emerson; Kante, Jorginho, Barkley; Willian, Higuain, Hazard
Manchester United lineup:
Romero; Young, Jones, Smalling, Shaw; Herrera, Matic, Pogba; Mata; Lukaku, Rashford
Head To Head
This will be the 14th time that these two sides have met in the FA Cup. Chelsea have triumphed in each of the last four and could become the first side to win five successive ties against United.
The Red Devils have lost three of their last five FA Cup matches against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with those wins coming in back-to-back campaigns in 1998 and 1999.In all competitions, United have won just two of their last 22 away games against the Blues, failing to win any of their last nine, including a 2-2 draw three months ago when Barkley scored in the final seconds of the match.