Rúben Amorim has provided a hint at who could start in Manchester United’s Premier League clash against Chelsea ahead of the Europa League final.
Manchester United are preparing for their penultimate Premier League fixture of the 2024/25 season, with Rúben Amorim’s side travelling to the capital to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Friday night.
The trip to west London marks United’s final away match of the campaign, before they bring the curtain down at Old Trafford against Aston Villa on Sunday, 25 May, hoping to end a disappointing league season on a slightly brighter note.
United’s focus, however, is already shifting toward the Europa League final, where they will face fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao on Wednesday, 21 May, in a bid to rescue silverware from a turbulent year.
Regardless of what unfolds in the coming games, United have already endured their worst-ever Premier League season, currently sitting in 16th place with just 39 points from 36 matches.
Amorim provides Chelsea selection hint
Amorim spoke with the media earlier this week surrounding the Chelsea fixture, and was asked about how he will use the tie to prepare for the final.
In reply, Amorim stated that he is viewing the Chelsea game for what it is, a Premier League fixture, hinting that he will be playing his strong players as his squad will have time to recover before the trip to Bilbao.
“The best way is to face the game like we should face the game. We need to perform, we need to win points in the Premier League and that is the feeling,” Amori said. We talked about that after West Ham.
“We need to improve in the way we face competition, stay focused in every moment of the game because, again against West Ham, we had clear situations to score. In the first opportunity of West Ham, they score one goal.
“So, these small details matter. The only way I know how to prepare a final, in the normal game for our league, we must play the same way as a final.”
Continuign, he said: “Yeah, we have time to recover. The best thing to prepare the final is to play the game [against Chelsea].
“The players have to understand that if you play or don’t play against Chelsea, it means nothing to the final, that is important. I’m just preparing [for] the game of Chelsea, that is my focus. We want to win and we want to perform.”
A case to play a strong squad against Chelsea
Although Amorim will be tempted to play a second-string squad against Chelsea, the head coach may want to ensure that some of his first-team players still get a good number of minutes under their belts.
While Amorim will want to ensure that players such as Rasmus Højlund, Harry Maguire, Casemiro, and Bruno Fernandes remain fresh for the final, the Portuguese manager has previously spoken about how, sometimes, the best way to prepare teams for a big game is to keep the minutes ticking.
While no one expects Amorim’s most significant players to all play 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge, he may choose to make sure these players play 60 or 70 minutes in the roles they will be handed for the final next week against Tottenham.
With the final against Premier League opposition and United having not played since last Sunday, it will be a good chance for Amorim’s key men to stretch their legs and prepare for the much-anticipated clash in Bilbao.
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