The fixture has lost much of its lustre of late, but that's as much to do with the form of both teams as anything else.

Will Carrick be sacked if United don't win?

For example, when a Jose Mourinho XI were facing an Alex Ferguson side, there were guaranteed fireworks. 

Not that Xabi Alonso and Michael Carrick aren't deserving of the positions they hold, of course, but their squads aren't anywhere close to those of 20 years ago.

United approach the match in 16th position, with it expected that Carrick will be given his marching orders if they're unable to pick up three points in West London.

Alonso will want to see a bit less chaos from a squad that can score goals - 17 so far, the third most in the top-flight - but who also concede far too many - 15 is also the third most in the division.

Fernandes vs Henderson is a battle for the ages

An area where this particular game is likely to be won and lost is in midfield, and what a contrast there is there, as Bruno Fernandes gets ready to line up against Jordan Henderson.

Henderson is a consummate leader of men, as he showed during his time at Sunderland and then at Liverpool, Al Ettifaq, Ajax and Brentford, before moving to the Blues.

A true competitor, what he lacks in terms of natural skill, he more than makes up for with desire and application.

Compare and contrast that with the Portuguese, who has a great habit of assisting and scoring goals, but is easily frustrated when things aren't going United's way.

You're more likely to see him wildly gesticulating or posturing than getting stuck in and leading by example.

In Saturday's game particularly, Fernandes has to step up to the plate and produce his best performance of the season. If he does just that, United might have half a chance of springing a surprise and handing Carrick a stay of execution.

Although Chelsea aren't necessarily there for the taking, it's worth noting that they've won just two of their last 17 Premier League games against Saturday's opponents.

Bruno's importance isn't in question, but histrionics must stop

Opponents who, if they don't win, will have equalled a record from 1988 when they last went nine games without a victory. History won't be kind to United at all if Chelsea were to win by 3+ goals, as it would be the first time since 1961 that they'd have lost by that many in three consecutive games.

After being an unused substitute vs Bournemouth because of his incendiary comments at the end of the defeat against Como, Fernandes now has the opportunity to get people talking about him again for the right reasons.

Despite their poor start, the captain still has the joint-most goals for the Red Devils (four, with Bryan Mbeumo), and he's also hit the woodwork more than anyone else (three times out of a team total of seven).

His six fast breaks are more than any of his colleagues, and his 20 total shots are only two short of Mbeumo.

The only United player to score a hat-trick this season, he's also created the most chances (25) in the 2026/27 campaign, whilst his 83.09% pass completion is one of the best in the squad.

Where he desperately needs to improve is with regard to his one-on-one exchanges, having contested 53 but won only 22.

Given that's a particular area where Henderson excels - he's won 10 of his 17 duels to date - that could be a problem for the United captain.

Chelsea have lost the most games of any EPL side since March

The 36-year-old Englishman also has a superb pass completion of 83.8 per cent, and whilst his chance creation is way down on his contemporaries' efforts, that's as much to do with time spent on the pitch this season as anything else, not to mention that it was never really Henderson's game in any event.

With Chelsea likely having up to nine players unavailable through injury, including top scorer Joao Pedro, Henderson's role will come under scrutiny. 

Danny Welbeck might also be called upon to play against his old employers, with the 35-year-old having scored six Premier League goals against United since leaving them, the most of any player that's played for them in the competition previously.

The Blues have lost the most games (11) in the Premier League since the start of March, and that's yet another reason why a home win would be welcomed.

If United triumph, it'll be the first time since September 1965 that they'll have won three consecutive league games against Chelsea, and it'll also be a third home defeat for the Blues on Halloween (no other team has more than one) after their losses in 1992/93 (2-1 to Sheffield United) and 2015/16 (3-1 to Liverpool).

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