Manchester United will head to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon for a clash with Chelsea on the back of their worst start to a season in over 40 years.

The Red Devils are winless in their last eight games in all competitions, with Michael Carrick tipped for the sack following consecutive heavy defeats against Como and Bournemouth in the last week, which extended their poor form to just two wins in 12 games in all competitions.

But INEOS have opted to give Carrick another chance to turn things around, opting against removing him from his post as manager, and he will be in the dugout against the Blues in the next game, and potentially the games against Roma and Aston Villa that will follow.

Whether he gets those games will entirely depend on the performance and result against Xabi Alonso's side, which means the decisions he makes in the build up to the game will arguably be the most important ones of his managerial career.

That includes the starting lineup, and which players miss out, and this is how GIVEMESPORT feels he should line up to have the best chance of saving his job by getting a positive result.

Defensive Changes Needed

Man Utd have been all over the shop defensively this season, keeping just a single clean sheet in all competitions.

Despite that, Senne Lammens must keep his place in goal. He's clearly the best goalkeeper at the club, and while he is having some struggles, he's not making any glaring errors that are costing the team, and he is still making some big saves.

In front of him, though, some changes are needed. Options at full-back are limited with Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu out injured, but Carrick's experiments with using Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro out wide have not worked. That should see Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui start, with Mazraoui more likely to be used on the left considering that is where he plays for Morocco.

At centre-back, it's time for Harry Maguire to be dropped. The £80m defender has never lived up to the hype, and his lack of athleticism is a constant issue for the squad to deal with when it comes to pressing high or squeezing up the pitch.

Lisandro Martinez must come back into the team after coming on as a substitute against Bournemouth having recovered from an injury, and he should be partnered by Yoro, who deserves a run of games in his preferred position. His mistake against the Cherries was unfortunate, but he has largely been good this season when trusted, and his pace, plus his ability in one-on-one situations will help against a rampant Chelsea attack.

Fernandes Must Return

Carrick surprised many when he dropped captain Bruno Fernandes against Bournemouth, and then subsequently refused to bring him on even with the team chasing a result. But it has been reported that a line has now been drawn under the incident and he is available for selection once more, which means he should start.

The rest may actually have done him some good, having been suffering from a knock in recent weeks, and United will need his creativity if they are to get a result from this game.

He needs to be free to go forward, and that means the players behind him must be ready to work hard. Carlos Baleba has been one of the better performers since returning from injury, so he should start. It's currently unclear if Kobbie Mainoo will be available, but if he is then he should start. If not though, then Youri Tielemans would be a better option in his preferred deeper role than £50m signing Andrey Santos, who has struggled at times.

Carrick Must Keep Attacking Options Simple

In attack, United don't have an abundance of options to choose from, but Carrick must keep things simple if he wants to get results.

Bryan Mbeumo has been the only player to show a regular level of threat in recent game, and the Cameroon international should continue as the starting striker in the absence of Benjamin Sesko, with Joshua Zirkzee not showing enough to earn a start, and clearly not being someone that Carrick enjoys using too much.

On the right, Shea Lacey has been knocking on the door to start, but Amad is a more sensible option, while Matheus Cunha should start on the left to provide a goal threat and creativity, with Marcus Rashford still struggling with a hip problem.