At the time of writing Louis van Gaal will be in the Manchester United dugout when they play host to Chelsea at Old Trafford on Monday evening.
The 2-0 defeat to Stoke City on Boxing Day means that United are without a victory in their last seven outings in all competitions, yet despite intense speculation, Van Gaal remains in charge.
Man United
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There is still some time left for the Red Devils to part company with their boss, but it is looking increasingly likely that any change in management at Old Trafford will occur after this encounter.
Reports last week claimed that Van Gaal would pay with his job were United to lose either of their festive double-header fixtures against Stoke and Chelsea, with the available Jose Mourinho believed to be readying himself to take charge.
With all of that in mind, the clash against the Blues is likely to be Van Gaal's last chance to ensure that he will stay the manager of United as we head into 2016.
As far as confidence and form goes, Van Gaal's men could not be in a much worse state. Only Southampton and bottom-placed Aston Villa have collected fewer points in the last six Premier League games, while the defeat at Stoke means that United have lost four competitive games in a row for the first time since 1961.
Defensively, things have been a little shaky of late, yet United can still boast the division's joint-second best record in terms of goals conceded, shipping 16 times.
It is up the other end of the pitch where the once free-scoring 20-time champions of England have had their main issues. They average only 1.22 goals a game, which is their lowest return since the 1989-90 campaign.
Anthony Martial and Juan Mata sit top of United's Premier League goalscoring chart with four strikes to their name, which is a paltry return considering that six players have already reached double figures and the likes of Newcastle United's Georginio Wijnaldum and Crystal Palace's Yohan Cabaye - both midfielders - have found the net seven and five times respectively.
Recent form: WDDLLL
Recent form (all competitions): DDLLLL
Chelsea
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There is undoubtedly still plenty of work to be done, but in the two outings since Mourinho's departure and the appointment of interim boss Guus Hiddink, there have been suggestions that Chelsea are going to move themselves up the table.
The post-Mourinho era got off to a winning start against Sunderland and while the 2-2 draw on Boxing Day with Watford at Stamford Bridge did highlight some of the frailties that remain, the Blues did at least appear to be more of an organised and enthusiastic unit under the returning Hiddink's stewardship.
The main plus to come from that Watford game was the performance of Diego Costa, who seemed to sulk his way through the last few weeks of Mourinho's tenure. Not only did he score both of Chelsea's goals, he made more sprints than any other player on the pitch.
But, in true Costa fashion, a wild sliding challenge on visiting defender Craig Cathcart earned the Spanish striker his fifth booking of the season and rendered him suspended for the trip to Manchester.
Despite having picked up four points from their last two outings, the West Londoners remain in a lowly 15th position and are just two points above the drop zone. While bookmakers are still offering long odds of around 50-1 that the unlikely will actually happen and the champions are relegated, Hiddink's immediate task is centred around getting the club out of the mire.
Unlike their hosts, the Blues may well be confident of picking up maximum points from this game. They have won six games at Old Trafford since the Premier League's inception in 1992 - more than any other team.
Recent form: WDLLWD
Recent form (all competitions): DLWLWD
Team News
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Even taking his poor form into consideration, it still caused a slight surprise when Van Gaal opted to drop captain Wayne Rooney against Stoke.
The 30-year-old was introduced as a half-time substitute at the Britannia Stadium and although he was unable to inspire a United comeback, he is expected to return to the starting lineup.
Who he replaces will be the key question for Van Gaal, with Memphis Depay, Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini the likely contenders to drop out.
Aside from that, while United's injury crisis has eased of late, it is not expected that any players currently on the treatment table will return.
As already mentioned Costa is banned, which may hand a rare starting opportunity to Loic Remy up front.
Cesc Fabregas was substituted during the break against Watford for tactical reasons and may find himself named among the substitutes, while there have been suggestions that Eden Hazard has picked up a fresh injury.
Man United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Young, Jones, Smalling, Blind; Fellaini, Carrick; Mata, Herrera, Martial; Rooney
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Matic; Willian, Oscar, Pedro; Remy
Head To Head
United have not been able to get the better of their visitors since a late goal from Javier Hernandez sealed a 3-2 win in October 2012.
That is a run that dates back eight matches in all competitions, five of which have ended in Chelsea victories.
United's last win over Chelsea at Old Trafford came back in September 2011 when Rooney and Chris Smalling got themselves on the scoresheet in a 3-1 triumph.
We say: Man United 0-1 Chelsea
Man United's performances of late have suggested that the players no longer have faith in their manager, so there is no reason why anything will change in this game. It is likely to be a close and nervy affair with very few chances, but Chelsea may well nick it.
Liam Apicella
