Liam Rosenior acknowledged “I need to win in this moment” as pressure continues to mount on the Chelsea boss ahead of Saturday’s visit from Manchester United.

Chelsea have slipped down to sixth in the Premier League table heading into the weekend’s action, having lost their last three games in the competition.

Rosenior is well aware of the growing discontent, given only once this century have they lost four Premier League games in a row, doing so between April and May 2023 under Frank Lampard. 

They sit four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool – and potential Champions League qualification – and Rosenior admitted improvements are desperately needed.

"I need to win in this moment. This is a huge football club,” he said after his side were thrashed 3-0 by Manchester City last Sunday.

"When I first came, I never asked for a lot of time because I understood this club. I understand the traditions and the history of this club.

“I would like to have that time, and I'm confident that in that time, you can create something very, very special within the time that it takes, which even someone as experienced as Pep [Guardiola] or Jurgen Klopp, when he won the titles he did at Liverpool, they had a year to sort things out.

"I've come in January. It's not an excuse. It's a reality. I need to win in the now, and that's what I'll be focused on."

United lost 2-1 to Leeds United last Monday, though they remain third – level on points with fourth-placed Aston Villa.

Lisandro Martinez was sent off last time out for violent conduct after pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair, while Harry Maguire has been handed an additional suspension for his reaction after being sent off against Bournemouth in their previous match. 

"When the dust settles on tonight, we're in a decent position,” Carrick said, hopeful of Martinez’s unlikely return with only two other centre-backs available this weekend.

“We'll make the most of it with whatever players we have available. Hopefully, Licha is still available, but we'll see.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Chelsea – Enzo Fernandez

Having been left out by Rosenior following comments over a potential move to Real Madrid, Fernandez could return at Stamford Bridge.

He has had the joint-most shots on target of any Chelsea player in this season’s competition (27), while also creating the most chances overall (51) and in open play (46).

The Argentina midfielder has also completed the most passes in the final third (459), and sits top in the Premier League among all players for defensive line-breaking passes (41) – his return would surely be welcome by Chelsea's supporters.

Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes

Fernandes has assisted Casemiro six times in the Premier League this season, having set up the Brazilian in the defeat against Leeds.

That marks the joint-most assists by a Man Utd player to a single team-mate in a campaign in the competition, equalling Fernandes to Marcus Rashford in 2022-23.

The United captain is also just three assists away from matching the single-season Premier League record for assists, shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne (20 each).

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

The Opta supercomputer sways significantly towards a home win for Chelsea, who have a strong record against Man Utd at Stamford Bridge, but the draw proves a great option.

Indeed, Chelsea have lost just one of their last 12 Premier League home games against Man Utd (W6 D5). They are also looking to win three in a row against them on home soil for the first time since April 2006.

However, this fixture has been drawn more often than any other in Premier League history (27), with just seven of those 27 draws ending goalless. Their 20 score draws are also the most in the competition (20).

But Chelsea head into this one with a woeful recent record. Since the start of March, no side in Europe’s big five leagues has lost more games in all competitions than them coming into the weekend’s games (six in nine games).

By comparison, Chelsea’s six prior defeats came over a period of 29 games (W15 D8 L6), though United are hardly in fine form after losing two of their last four league games (W1 D1). They had only lost two of their previous 22 beforehand (W12 D8).

If Carrick’s side can hit their stride, they could secure a Premier League double over Chelsea for just the second time after the 2019-20 campaign, following their 2-1 win at Old Trafford back in September.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Chelsea – 43.7%
Manchester United – 29.5%
Draw – 26.8%