Manchester United vs Chelsea: Combined XI

Manchester United take on Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday in what could be a crucial match in deciding the top four places.

Premier League Live: Follow Manchester United vs Chelsea Live right here

Chelsea are three points behind United and a win with a three-goal-margin will take them above the latter going into the last ten games of the season.

One man who will be key in helping the Blues achieve that is Belgian star Eden Hazard, who has been in sublime form this season.

On United's front, their star Paul Pogba has been relatively indifferent - at least of late. Can either of them lift their sides to a crucial victory?

Here's a look at a combined team of Manchester United and Chelsea players, chosen considering ability as well as recent form.

With both teams possessing quite a few top-quality players and only 11 in a team, it is inevitable that some of them have to miss out. Find out if this is the team you would go for.

---

Goalkeeper:

David de Gea has been Manchester United's savior on countless occasions

David De Gea

There really can't be another choice when the Spaniard's in the mix. He has been in devastating form this season (again) and has produced stunning saves to rescue United time and again.

It is hard to imagine them fighting for a Champions League spot without De Gea's heroics.

Yes, Thibaut Courtois is a top-class keeper as well, but almost nobody will argue against naming De Gea as the best in the league, if not the world.

In the Premier League, he has the most clean sheets (15), joint-second most saves (87, along with Jordan Pickford) and has the best save percentage of 80.6. He is simply the best shot-stopper in town.

With Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs breathing down their necks, United will need their 'keeper to continue his rich vein of form to retain their Champions League spot.

Defence:

César Azpilicueta has been a rock at the back for Chelsea

Manchester United have the best defensive record in the Premier League having conceded only 19. Chelsea has the third-best with 23. As such, they both have among the best defenders in the league and are generally solid at the back.

Antonio Valencia has yet again had a superb season for United at right-back. He has scored three goals going forward and has used his pace very well to track back opposing wingers. Even at the twilight of his career, he seems to be indispensable for United.

On the other flank, I would go with Marcos Alonso. Ashley Young has also impressed at United in his new role as a left-back while Luke Shaw has shown glimpses of his potential in the few games that he has played.

However, Alonso has had more impact going forward and is a nuisance in the opposition box with his height.

The centre-back pairing is a difficult one to choose. Gary Cahill hasn't been at his best this season whereas Andreas Christensen has been a shining light for Chelsea at the back.

Chris Smalling impressed in spells, Victor Lindelof has been error-prone while Eric Bailly has been injured for most of the season.

That leaves me with a pairing of César Azpilicueta and Phil Jones at centre-back. The former has yet again been a rock at Chelsea and has also chipped in six assists.

Jones has been largely solid at United this season and has been slightly better than England teammate Smalling.

Midfield:

Kanté and Matić (then at Chelsea) were key in Chelsea winning the title last season

I have a midfield trio of N'Golo Kanté, Nemanja Matić and Paul Pogba.

Kanté and Matić sitting in front of the back four gives license to Pogba to roam forward and unleash havoc on the opposition defence.

The former two have been immensely important for their respective sides in protecting their defence, and together, they can control the midfield reconstructing their partnership at Chelsea in the title-winning 2016-17 season.

The only other real contender for a midfield spot is Cesc Fàbregas and it is difficult to leave him out of any team. However, as impressive as he has been this season, Pogba is a match-winner in his own right.

Although much has been made of his indifferent form of late, he has scored three goals and assisted nine times (behind only Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sané) in the league. That is certainly not a bad return, and he can arguably be considered a victim of a high transfer price.

Attack:

Eden Hazard has once again been Chelsea's talisman this season

Both teams have an extremely talented attacking pool to choose from with the likes of Hazard, Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial and Alvaro Morata in their ranks.

In the end, I go with Hazard, Martial and Sánchez. Choosing Hazard is a no-brainer as he has been one of the top performers in the league yet again and is an automatic choice for the left wing position.

Martial has been almost equally brilliant for United, chipping in with nine goals and four assists as well as his ability to weave through the opposition defenses.

The choice of Sánchez may be a controversial one as he hasn't been in his best form for a few months. However, one cannot argue with the fact that he is a world-class player, and therefore gets ahead of others who have been in better form.

He plays up front, a role that he has played occasionally when he was at Arsenal. The possibility of the front three rotating with each other makes this an even more deadly trio.

Morata and Lukaku haven't been able to replicate their early-season form, while Rashford has lacked game-time to showcase his immense ability. Willian also gets an honorary mention as he has been in good form recently but misses out to better all-round players.

Manchester United - Chelsea combined XI