United v Chelsea: Your essential guide

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Reds welcome Frank Lampard's Blues to the Theatre of Dreams for the final match of the opening weekend, which kicks off at 16:30 BST.

The Reds drew 1-1 with the Blues in our penultimate home game last season, but there's been plenty of change at both clubs since that April encounter.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the big game…

HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE GAME?

MUTV subscribers will be able to watch live dedicated build-up to the game in the ‘Match Day’ show from 15:00 BST on Sunday, followed by live radio commentary. You can also follow our coverage on ManUtd.com and the Official App, where you can track live data and player statistics in the Match Centre. 

WHICH TV CHANNEL IS IT ON IN THE UK?

Sky Sports have been confirmed as the UK broadcaster for our clash with the Blues, with BT Sport and Amazon Prime also set to show live matches during the 2019/20 season. As always, the match will be shown in full on MUTV from the following day.

ANY TEAM NEWS FOR US?

Paul Pogba and Matteo Darmian missed last weekend's final pre-season outing against AC Milan but have been working on their fitness. Alexis Sanchez will be short of match fitness, having not featured in any of our pre-season games following his participation at the Copa America with Chile. One man who definitely won't be available on Sunday is Eric Bailly, with the defender likely to be sidelined until Christmas due to a knee problem. Summer signings Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James could also make their full competitive debuts for the Reds. Ole could provide an update on the latest team news during his pre-match press conference which is due to take place on Friday.

WHAT ABOUT CHELSEA?

 Antonio Rudiger, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James are all set to miss out for the visitors with various injuries, while there are also doubts surrounding the fitness of N'Golo Kante and Willian. Kante has barely been involved for the Blues during pre-season due to a hamstring problem and Willian may not have recovered from a knee injury in time for Sunday. Frank Lampard could also give a further update on the Blues squad in his media briefing. 

ANY NEW FACES AT THE BLUES?

Well, yes and no. Chelsea have been operating under a transfer ban this summer, although they were permitted to bring in Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid as the midfielder was on loan at Stamford Bridge last term. Another new arrival in west London is Christian Pulisic. The American international actually signed for Chelsea in January but, having been loaned back to Borussia Dortmund for the remainder of the 2018/19 campaign, the midfielder could make his competitive debut for the Blues on Sunday. The club’s transfer embargo also means Chelsea have turned to several youngsters who have returned after various loan moves last year. Tammy Abraham, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Kurt Zouma, Kenedy, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and James all look set to be involved with the Blues this season, after spending the previous campaign on loan at other clubs.

WHAT ABOUT THEIR MANAGER?

Chelsea have appointed a new manager during the summer, in former midfielder Frank Lampard. The 41-year-old, who played nearly 650 games for Chelsea and is the club’s all-time record goalscorer, is set to take charge of his first competitive game at Old Trafford this weekend. Lampard has so far experienced just one year in management, when he led Derby County to the Championship play-off final last season, before accepting the offer to return to the Bridge.

WHAT WAS OUR RECORD IN PRE-SEASON?

Ole’s men were unbeaten in pre-season, winning five of our six games while triumphing on penalties in the other following a draw. The Reds started with wins against Perth Glory (2-0) and Leeds United (4-0) in Perth, Australia before we beat Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan (the latter on penalties) in the International Champions Cup. United ultimately finished second in the 12-team tournament, although we could drop to third should Atletico Madrid beat Juventus on Saturday. The Reds also beat Ole’s hometown club Kristiansund 1-0 in Oslo during pre-season.

WHAT ABOUT CHELSEA?

It’s been a mixed bag for the Blues in pre-season, with Frank Lampard’s side beating the likes of Barcelona but losing to Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale. Overall, from seven games in this summer, Chelsea have won four, drawn two and lost once.

WHAT'S OUR RECORD LIKE AGAINST THE BLUES?

Chelsea are one of our oldest foes and, along with United, are one of just six ever-presents in the Premier League era. Since the league’s inception in 1992, we’ve hosted Chelsea 27 times and have won 10, drawn 11 and lost just six times. The Reds first played the west London side in 1905 and, of the 183 previous meetings in all competitions, we’ve won 75, drawn 55 and lost 53. United have a good recent record against Chelsea at Old Trafford and are unbeaten in our last six encounters with the Blues, the last of which ended 1-1 in April.

WHO'S THE REFEREE?

Anthony Taylor is set to take charge of Sunday’s encounter. The 40-year-old oversaw two United games last season: the memorable 3-2 comeback against Newcastle United in October and the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City the following month. Taylor also refereed Chelsea’s last Premier League game of 2018/19 - a 0-0 draw with Leicester City. Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn will be Taylor’s assistants at Old Trafford, while Lee Mason will fulfil the role of fourth official. Of course, VAR will be used for the first time in the Premier League this weekend and that will be overseen by Stuart Attwell and Stephen Child.

RIVALS WATCH

As usual, the first weekend of the Premier League has a full list of fixtures, with all 20 sides involved in games spread across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The action kicks off on Friday night as Liverpool take on Norwich City at Anfield and concludes at Old Trafford two days later. Here’s the full list of fixtures:

FRIDAY 9 AUGUST
Liverpool v Norwich City (20:00 BST)

SATURDAY 10 AUGUST
Manchester City v West Ham United (12:30 BST)
Bournemouth v Southampton
Burnley v Southampton
Crystal Palace v Everton
Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa (17:30 BST)

SUNDAY 11 AUGUST
Leicester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers (14:00 BST)
Newcastle United v Arsenal (14:00 BST)
Manchester United v Chelsea (16:30 BST)

* Games kick off at 15:00 BST unless stated.

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