CHELSEA vs MANCHESTER UNITED, STATS what to watch for

The key tactical questions ahead of Chelsea vs Man Utd showdown

an hour ago / autty

The Premier League returns with a bang on Saturday lunchtime when Jose Mourinho takes his Manchester United side to Stamford Bridge to face former club Chelsea.

It will be the first time Mourinho has ever faced Maurizio Sarri and it promises to be a fascinating tactical battle as United try and recover their shaky form and Chelsea try to preserve their unbeaten record.

We take a closer look at some of the areas where the showdown could be won or lost.

IS MOURINHO JUST GOING TO PARK THE BUS?

The gut feeling around this game is that Mourinho will adopt the same strategy he usually does for matches away to high-calibre opposition - United will rock up at Stamford Bridge and park the bus.

It has been a turbulent opening to the season for United, who enter the fixture in eighth position in the Premier League following a succession of shaky - or at best unconvincing - performances.

Throw into the mix the well-documented dressing room discord between Mourinho and a large part of his squad and the temptation to mount a damage limitation exercise is strong.

Then there's the fact Mourinho is returning to his old club, plus this fixture being the beginning of a demanding month for United that sees them also play Juventus twice and Manchester City.

This is not to mention United's terrible recent record away to Chelsea - they lost 1-0 there both in the league and the FA Cup last season and were thrashed 4-0 the season before.

Chelsea won't be compromising on the vibrant attacking football Sarri has brought, so Mourinho could easily conclude the best way to counter this is to sit deep with four defenders and two defensive midfielders.

Let's not forget that Mourinho is the past master in stifling top-level opponents and, while it may go against United's DNA, it has proved effective in the past. The 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Anfield last season is one example.

Mourinho's instinct on Saturday will be to minimise risk, so we could see a return to his more cautious 4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1 with two of Nemanja Matic, Marouane Fellaini or Fred shielding the United back line.

It would see Chelsea dominating possession and United issuing them with a challenge: 'Come and break us down.'

HOW ARE UNITED GOING TO KEEP EDEN HAZARD QUIET?

If he wasn't before, there's no question Hazard is now among the top five footballers in the world and the Belgian is enjoying a sensational season.

Eight goals and three assists from 10 matches so far says everything about how Hazard has been liberated to play his natural attacking game by Sarri since he took over in the summer.

It goes without saying that United need a plan to keep Hazard quiet if they are to come away from west London with anything other than defeat and more disappointment.

Trouble is, having been released from his defensive shackles this season, Hazard has licence to roam right across the forward line from his starting position on the left.

When operating down the channel on that side, Hazard has been ably supported by Marcos Alonso pushing forward and United need to be wary of being overloaded.

So how to curb Hazard's influence? In recent matches, Mourinho has deployed one player - typically Ander Herrera - to remain tight to Hazard throughout.

This worked effectively when United beat Chelsea 2-0 at Old Trafford in April 2017, but Hazard slipped through Herrera's clutches in last season's FA Cup final, scoring the winning goal at Wembley.

Herrera has barely been seen this season and is just returning from an ankle injury, so Mourinho may not have that option available to him this time.

With Hazard marauding a little more, it may be better to adopt a zonal approach to stopping him, with responsibility passing to whoever is nearest.

However, given the muddle that has been United's tactics during most of their matches this season, that could be a disaster waiting to happen.

Hazard could easily drift and pull them out of shape, with the slightest breakdown in communication be