Why Manchester United will beat Chelsea

After mixed fortunes in Europe, the two clubs sitting on top of the English Premier League meet this Sunday. Of course, regardless of the result this weekend, Chelsea will remain on top. But here are some reasons why Manchester United can close the gap on the European champions. 

First of all, Manchester United have a group of attacking players who are clicking together and scoring goals. The quartet of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez have all scored goals this past week. The same can't be said about the form that Fernando Torres has been since his move to Stamford Bridge.

In the league, Manchester United have scored 21 to Chelsea's 19. The downside is obviously the vulnerability of the defence which has given away early leads and leaked goals all season.

Of course, it will be interesting to see who starts and what formation Sir Alex will use at Stamford Bridge. Will he look to attack? Will he go with the thought that a draw would be fine?

One thing we do know is that Shinji Kagawa will not play due to a knee injury picked up against Braga during the week. With this Ferguson may be tempted to go back to a 4-4-1-1. Trying to accommodate all four strikers would be nice seeing as they're all in form, but looking at Chelsea's defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk, width will be very important for United. After Frank Lampard came off, the trio of Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard played very narrow in behind Fernando Torres. This means Chelsea's fullbacks are left to defend all opposing wide players coming their way.

The aforementioned trio, however, will be a major threat to United's defence. Ferdinand and Evra will be back to form a more settled back four than the one which conceded twice against Braga. But the lesson learned from the defeat to Spurs was to defend speed with speed. Which means choosing a midfield combination will be the most important decision Sir Alex has to make - to strike a balance with in the side. Thus I believe a 4-4-1-1 formation would be more suitable with Kagawa unavailable.

Lastly, both teams return from European duty this weekend. Chelsea had an unsuccessful return trip to Ukraine whereas Manchester United played well enough to get a home win. Sir Alex and his coaches must have seen some footage of the Chelsea match and seen 23 shots on Petr Cech's goal. So, coming off the their European adventures, Manchester United are better placed. Of couse they have yet again suffered from a sloppy start and Chelsea will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing game.

Nevertheless, I believe the game will be incredibly exciting and I see Manchester United coming away with the three points.

Calling all United fans: Who do you think will play for United? How will they line up? Will Sir Alex Ferguson go for the win?