Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is likely to keep the same side that beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Wednesday for the trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Saturday.
The performance was simply so good that unless there are injuries, illness or tiredness, the manager will surely want the momentum to continue with the same XI.
Fred probably came in as third choice alongside Casemiro in midfield against Newcastle, as Scott McTominay was suspended and Christian Eriksen was ill.
His performance against the Magpies led to a lot of criticism in the media and on social media and he was widely expected to make way against Spurs, but Ten Hag kept faith with him and was rewarded with a fantastic midfield performance.
It was surely persuasive to him keeping his place, as was Casemiro’s performance alongside him.
This means that Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen will probably start on the bench.
Harry Maguire could be available for selection again but neither he nor Victor Lindelof or Tyrell Malacia are likely to dislodge the in-form Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw.
The front four also performed really well and will probably continue, although if Anthony Martial is fit, he could start with Marcus Rashford rested or with Rashford moved to one of the wings and Sancho or Antony rested.
However, it seems more likely that Martial will also start on the bench if available.
One player highly unlikely to start is Cristiano Ronaldo. It was clear to see how much better the team performed without him as the system was more fluid. Moreover, his antics in leaving the ground before the end of the match are unlikely to be rewarded by the manager with a start.
Donny Van de Beek, Brandon Williams, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe are all still ruled out with injury.
With all that in mind, here is our predicted XI for Saturday’s game:
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