Chelsea are boosted today by the return of boyhood Manchester United fan Cole Palmer, who served a one-match suspension following his late sending off against Tottenham during the defeat by Liverpool.

Pep Chavarria is also back in contention, while Moises Caicedo and Malo Gusto are both fine after struggling at Anfield.

Emi Martinez is pushing to return early following surgery on a fractured jaw, though won’t be involved this afternoon.

Maxence Lacroix picked up a hamstring injury in midweek and reports suggest there are fears that he may not play again until the New Year.

Star striker Joao Pedro remains a key absentee for Chelsea due to a thigh problem, sidelined along with captain Reece James, Jorrel Hato and Jamie Gittens.

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How to watch Chelsea vs Manchester United

TV channel: Chelsea vs Manchester United is being broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 11:30am GMT.

Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also stream the match live online via the HBO Max app and website.

Chelsea vs Manchester United live

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of Chelsea vs Manchester United as a high-profile showdown in west London kicks off another huge weekend of Premier League action.

It may be Halloween but the under-fire Michael Carrick will be desperate to put an end to the scary stuff as he seeks a positive result that could well save his job, with United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to be in attendance.

The situation is obviously nothing anywhere near as dire for Chelsea counterpart Xabi Alonso, but he too will be eager to see a bounce back this afternoon after midweek Carabao Cup penalty heartbreak at Liverpool that followed hot on the heels of only a second home league defeat by fierce rivals Tottenham in 36 years.

Kick-off is at 12:30pm GMT, so stay tuned for all your match build-up, breaking team news and live game updates, including expert insight and analysis from Standard Sport’s Chelsea correspondent Dom Smith at Stamford Bridge.

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