Romelu Lukaku v David Luiz and other key battles as Chelsea face off against Man United

Aditya Devavrat 09:50 05/11/2017
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  • Sunday’s clash between Chelsea and Manchester United already seems like a potential turning point in the season.

    With Premier League leaders Manchester City facing off against Arsenal earlier in the day, the match at Stamford Bridge could start with United eight points behind their neighbours, and Chelsea a further four back.

    So this could just be the game neither side can afford to lose – but will either be brave enough to win?

    While the most entertaining battle may already have been played out, as managers Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho have traded subtle barbs all week, here’s a look at the key battles which will be played out on the pitch.

    DAVID LUIZ V ROMELU LUKAKU

    Luiz has had a tough time of late, putting in some erratic performances as Chelsea’s rearguard has descended into a shambles. The Brazilian’s imperious form from last season has disappeared, while the indisciplined game that Conte had seemingly stamped out has begun to return.

    Perhaps the battle against Lukaku is just what he needs. Luiz isn’t the first name you think of when you consider defenders who relish a physical battle, but having one single player to focus his energies on might help him.

    He’ll always back himself to win duels on the ground (whether he actually does so as often as he’d like is up for debate) and it’s possible he could rise to the aerial challenge.

    For Lukaku, it’s a chance to end a six-game goal drought, show Chelsea what they missed out on by not signing him, and silence the critics who say he doesn’t perform in big games. No pressure, then.

    It’s likely he’ll try positioning himself Cesar Azpilicueta as often as possible to take advantage of his height and physicality, but he’ll have his fair share of battles with Luiz as well, and he could just exploit the vulnerabilities that have creeped back into the Brazilian’s game.

    Will Lukaku break his goal-drought against Luiz and co.?

    Will Lukaku break his goal-drought against Luiz and co.?

    EDEN HAZARD V ANTONIO VALENCIA

    When Eden Hazard sees the United team on Sunday, he might shudder when he notices Ander Herrera. The Spaniard shackled Hazard brilliantly when these two sides faced off in April.

    However, United had a three-man midfield that day, which gave Herrera the license to follow Hazard.

    United don’t have enough fit senior midfielders to play a three-man midfield at the moment, so Herrera will have to stick to his role in the centre of the park, leaving Hazard the only slightly easier challenge of squaring off against Antonio Valencia.

    The right-back is having a typically understated, impressive season, but Sunday will be a stiff challenge. Hazard has just begun rounding into form, and his pace and trickery will give any defender nightmares.

    United fans like to think of Valencia as the best right-back in the league; on Sunday, he’ll have to earn that billing.

    Hazard will come up against one of the league's best right-backs in Valencia.

    Hazard will come up against one of the league’s best right-backs in Valencia.

    ALVARO MORATA V PHIL JONES

    Like Lukaku, Morata hasn’t scored in his last six games, although he does have the mitigating circumstances of having spent time out due to injury.

    Also like his striking colleague, he bagged an assist in a 1-0 win in his last Premier League outing. And in another similarity between the duo, the Spaniard is now coming in for a fair bit of criticism for his form.

    So he’ll be as determined as his opposite number to make a mark on this game. Morata has scored in a Champions League semi-final and final before, so he doesn’t have a reputation of falling short in big games to knock back. But he will nonetheless have a formidable obstacle to overcome in Phil Jones.

    The Manchester United man is having his most impressive campaign in years, so much so that Sport360 declared he’s the best centre-back in the league when he’s on form.

    He’s equally adept at dealing with a physical striker like Morata’s predecessor, Diego Costa, and a player whose game is based more on movement and finding space, like Morata himself. This should be the game’s most closely-fought battle.

    Morata v Jones could be where the game is won.

    Morata v Jones could be where the game is won.

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