Chelsea play outside of London for the first time in the Premier League this season when they travel to Manchester United this weekend. Ahead of the top-flight showdown, Paul Merson has offered some advice to Blues head coach Enzo Maresca on his team selection.
The Blues are unbeaten in their opening four league matches to signal a decent start to the campaign, even if they should be disappointed with last weekend’s 2-2 draw away to Brentford.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| 3 |  TottenhamTottenham | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 9 |
| 4 |  BournemouthBournemouth | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| 5 |  ChelseaChelsea | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 8 |
Chelsea’s winless run at Old Trafford in the Premier League dates back to 2013. Therefore, travelling supporters on their way to watch their side against Man Utd may do so with a degree of worry.
It is worth noting that Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd team looks severely out of form as the pressure continues to ramp up on the manager.
Paul Merson picks the Chelsea front four to start vs Manchester United
According to Paul Merson, Chelsea can beat Man Utd this Saturday if Enzo Maresca picks his strongest team because he rates them as a much better side.
The Blues attack is certainly an interesting talking point ahead of the upcoming fixture because of the various options. Merson thinks Chelsea should start with Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Estevao Willian and Joao Pedro as the quartet.
Merson told Sportskeeda: “With Liam Delap out injured, how should Chelsea line-up to get the best out of their attack? I think Joao Pedro up front and Cole Palmer in behind is a given. But who else do they play? I don’t think Pedro Neto has done enough for Chelsea and Jamie Gittens looks a bit lost! They must play Estevao, let him off the leash. He has already proved that he can play at this level and he will enjoy a lot of space in this game.
“So I’d go Neto, Palmer and Estevao behind Pedro. But I doubt Maresca will do the same! He may opt to go safe instead. What the Chelsea coach must understand is that they have the better squad and can rip Manchester United into shreds if they play their best team.”
When fit, Palmer and Pedro feel like automatic starters in any Chelsea XI. Neto has started every game so far this season as well, whether that’s on the left or right wing.
It feels like it could be a toss-up between Estevao or Alejandro Garnacho to complete the front four this weekend.
In his pre-match press conference, Maresca claimed Garnacho is ready to start against Man Utd, so let’s wait and see if he comes into the starting line-up.
Estevao Willian should start at Manchester United
Even though Estevao isn’t in Chelsea’s predicted XI vs Man Utd, we would love to see the 18-year-old talent unleashed at Old Trafford.
The teenager could have a field day on the right wing with the amount of space that Man Utd leave, so he must be in the manager’s thoughts for the weekend. It would be a surprise if Neto is left out of the line-up, though.
In four Chelsea appearances, Estevao has shown glimpses of why he’s so highly rated. He’s definitely not looked overawed or out of place in his new side either.
It would be great to see him score his first competitive goal for the club at Old Trafford.
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