Sunday’s match at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United pits the top two teams in the Premiership standings.
Here are five things to watch out for in what is the biggest game of the Premiership season thus far…
Sunday programming alert: Watch Chelsea v Manchester United (Sportsnet World at noon ET)
1. Magical Mata
Juan Mata has been the best player in the league this season.
The magical Spaniard is coming off a stellar performance against Tottenham last weekend when he scored two goals (including the game winner) and set up another as the Blues came from behind to win at White Hart Lane.
With three goals and five assists, Mata has been a major reason why the Blues have gone undefeated through the first eight matches of the campaign.
And with Manchester United’s defence looking suspect, look for the Spaniard to continue to wield his influence Sunday at the Bridge.
2. Missing midfielders
Sunday’s game will be littered with star players, but two marquee starters will be noticeably absent.
Chelsea’s Frank Lampard has been ruled out for two weeks after suffering a calf injury in the Blues’ midweek loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
Likewise, Manchester United’s Shinji Kagawa will miss the next four weeks of action, the result of a knee injury suffered in a Champions League win over Braga.
The loss of Lampard is not that big of a blow for Chelsea, as Mata and Eden Hazard have been the key and influential players for the London club this season.
But Kagawa’s absence means manager Alex Ferguson will likely force him to abandon the midfield diamond formation he’s used in recent games.
3. United’s road jinx
United have run rough shod over opponents at their home grounds, but Chelsea is a notable exception.
It’s been over a decade since the Reds have won at Stamford Bridge in the league, picking up just four of a possible 30 points. And they have just one win in their last 12 visits to Chelsea in all competitions.
Make no mistake about it: it’s a massive psychological barrier to overcome.
But maybe United can take a bit of confidence from the fact that in the corresponding fixture last season they came back from behind by scoring three goals in just over 30 minutes to earn a 3-3 draw.
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4. How good is this Chelsea team?
Remember the 2005-06 Chelsea side?
The one that stormed to the title under Jose Mourinho by losing just five games, conceding a meagre 22 goals, and topped the table with an eight-point lead over Manchester United?
Remember how dominant that team was?
Well, consider this: Chelsea’s 22-point haul in 2012-13 is the second-best start to a league season by any team in the Premiership era.
Only one other club in Premiership history has collected more points from their first eight games of the season — Chelsea, 24 points in 2005-06.
5. The Chelsea killers
It’s a shame that Alex Ferguson can’t field a starting lineup that includes Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez, because all three have had great success against Chelsea.
Hernandez has scored in four of seven appearances against Chelsea in all competitions, and has found the net in three of the last four.
Van Persie has scored five goals at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, the joint-most of any player in the competition.
Not to be outdone, Rooney has scored five goals in his last six appearances in all competitions against Chelsea.