Its not possible –Conte
By Paul Erewuba
The English Premier League continues today with matches in different centers as the picture at the bottom of the table continues to get clearer and the title race continues.
The bottom four are all playing today and it is a day of reckoning for all of them.
Chelsea will tomorrow at the Old Trafford, take on Manchester United for the third time this season as Jose Mourinho looks to avoid a third straight defeat by his former club.
Antonio Conte’s men comprehensively beat United 4-0 in the Premier League in October – a game that marked Mourinho’s first return to Stamford Bridge since he was sacked by Chelsea – before the Blues knocked the Red Devils out of the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 home win in March.
But Chelsea will now have to go to Old Trafford – where United have drawn nine times in the top flight this season – as they attempt to keep intact their seven-point lead over Tottenham.
The task will be made more difficult by the fact that United are unbeaten in 21 league matches, while the heat could be on Chelsea given title rivals Spurs chase.
Chelsea’s record from 31 league games this season reads: won 24, drawn 3 and lost 4 with 75 points.
For all Man United’s struggles so far, they are 18 points off the top of the table, which is an indication that the title might be far from them.
No doubt, the title seems a long way off for Manchester United, but they are chasing down Manchester City and Liverpool, at least for the top four.
Indeed, Victor Moses’ return to the Chelsea side for the 3-1 victory over Bournemouth last Saturday means Antonio Conte has no injuries worries.
However, the story is very different for Mourinho, with the United manager having several injury concerns to contend with.
David De Gea missed the 3-0 win at Sunderland due to a “small” hip problem. Whether he will recover in time for the visit of Chelsea remains to be seen but Phil Jones (toe), Chris Smalling (knee), Juan Mata (groin) and Ashley Young (knock) are all sidelined.
But Antonio Valencia should be back, though, from a muscular injury and Captain Wayne Rooney looks unlikely to make the cut as he continues to recover from an ankle issue.
Given the already bloated ego of both teams, the match will indeed be explosive and entertaining at the same time.