27/12/2015 17:02, Report by Adam Bostock, Ryan Grant
PREVIEW: MANCHESTER UNITED V CHELSEA
How to follow the match: United's final game of 2015 kicks off at 17:30 GMT and will be shown live in the UK on BT Sport. You can follow the action in ManUtd.com's live match blog from Old Trafford or via @ManUtd on Twitter, while MUTV will have live programmes at 14:30 and 16:30 GMT on Monday before broadcasting the full match at midnight.
Scene-setter: The busy festive schedule continues as United welcome champions Chelsea to the Theatre of Dreams for the final game of the calendar year. This fixture remains one of the biggest in the Barclays Premier League, and takes on added importance at the end of a tough month for both sides. The Reds have not beaten Chelsea in any of the last five league meetings, but may be encouraged by finishing last season's 1-1 draw in the ascendancy with an injury-time equaliser.
Form guide: The 2-0 Boxing Day defeat at Stoke City was United's fourth consecutive loss in all competitions and extended the win-less streak to seven games. The Reds' last victory came against Watford, the opponents who held Chelsea in a seesaw 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. After Diego Costa scored twice, team-mate Oscar missed an 80th-minute penalty that could have given Guus Hiddink a winning start to his second spell at the West London club. First-team coach Steve Holland was in temporary charge for the preceding 3-1 home success over Sunderland, two days after Jose Mourinho was sacked as manager. Chelsea's only away win in the league this season was 3-2 at West Brom back on 23 August and they have since lost at Everton, West Ham, Stoke and Leicester.
Latest team news: Bastian Schweinsteiger is permitted to play after a three-match ban and Wayne Rooney could be recalled to the starting line-up after Louis van Gaal confirmed his captain was omitted at Stoke for tactical reasons. The manager told MUTV last week that right-back Matteo Darmian might return against Chelsea following a hamstring problem but he provided no further update on the Italian after Saturday's game. Meanwhile, the visitors will be without Diego Costa after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season during the Watford clash but Eden Hazard underlined his availability by coming on as a 74th-minute substitute in the same match. The Belgian playmaker previously missed the 3-1 home win over Sunderland, having been forced off with an early injury in the 2-1 defeat at Leicester City.
View from the dressing room: "We have to get our heads right for Monday. It can turn around quickly and if we get a good win then the feeling comes back. Hopefully we will be able to kick on from that.”
- Michael Carrick
View from the opposition camp: "Every Chelsea versus Manchester United game is big but this one is especially of course. I hope we can show the same ambition there that we showed in a big part of this game [against Watford]." - Guus Hiddink
Sub-plots: Monday's clash pits van Gaal and Hiddink against each other for the first time since 2006, when the Dutchmen managed AZ Alkmaar and PSV Eindhoven respectively. Both men have since been the head coach of their national team but Hiddink's stint lasted for less than a year as Netherlands failed to qualify for Euro 2016 on the back of finishing third at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil under van Gaal. On the pitch, Juan Mata will face his former club once again, while Radamel Falcao could make a first appearance against United since his loan spell with the Reds ended in May.
Danger men: Willian is Chelsea's top scorer in all competitions this season, albeit with five of his seven strikes coming in the Champions League. He'll certainly be the one to watch if the Blues win a free-kick in shooting range as the Brazilian has netted from six set-pieces in this campaign. Spain international Pedro, who was heavily linked with United in the summer, broke a run of four months without a goal when he found the net against Sunderland earlier this month.
Referee: Euro 2016 ref Martin Atkinson will be the man in the middle, presiding over his second United match of the season, after taking charge of the Reds' 2-1 defeat to Swansea in August. His assistants will be Mike Mullarkey and Stephen Child, with Mike Dean serving as the fourth official.
Rivals watch: The games beginning at 15:00 GMT on Bank Holiday Monday include Tottenham's trip to Watford and Crystal Palace's home game against Swansea City. Arsenal host Bournemouth at the same time as United v Chelsea gets under way, 17:30 GMT. Leicester City and Manchester City have an extra day's rest before their crucial clash at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night, while Liverpool have to wait until Wednesday evening for their away match at Sunderland.
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