As Chelsea welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the Premier League prepares to witness two in-form titans going head to head.

Huge questions have been asked of both sides this season, with each dropping needless points and struggling on occasions when they were simply expected to win.

It is second versus fifth in the Premier League, with both sides desperate to cement a Champions League place and prepare as strongly as possibly for next season – when supporters are hopefully back filling the stadiums.

But when it comes to a combined XI, who makes the cut? Both teams have several players in red hot form, though there isn’t a spot for everybody. Sportsmail runs the rule over both teams to decide who makes the grade… 

Edouard Mendy

The Frenchman endured a few early wobbles after replacing Kepa Arrizabalaga at the start of the season, but now appears to be the real deal.

Mendy has had time to settle at Stamford Bridge and now on a weekly basis showcases his strong shot-stopping abilities.

An imposing presence in the air, Mendy has been a big factor behind Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten run since taking over at the helm.

Edouard Mendy has settled in and now looks a commanding presence between the stick

Mendy takes the slot between the sticks as confusion still lingers over the No 1 shirt of Sunday’s visitors United.

David De Gea has gone back to basics this season and has seen an upturn in performances, yet not all are convinced. Calls are mounting by the week for Dean Henderson to be given the starting berth.

Thankfully for Tuchel and Chelsea, they have no such issues. 

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

The former Crystal Palace man continues to go from strength to strength at Old Trafford.

Wan-Bissaka has always been credited for his formidable ability to win the ball one-on-one or when entering a 50/50 challenge.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is famed for his defending but this season he has been able to press on

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is famed for his defending but this season he has been able to press on

This season however the youngster has benefited from United’s collective rise. Solskjaer’s men are crafting more opportunities and making things happen.

As a result, the forward-thinking side of Wan-Bissaka’s game is improving as a result.

Taking to the pitch at Stamford Bridge, he is set to be vital for United if they are to nullifying the incisive runs made by the likes of Timo Werner and Mason Mount. 

Cesar Azpilicueta

The Chelsea skipper has come back into his own under Tuchel, and recently gave his new manager the highest praise by saying that everything has changed.

Azpilicueta found himself rotated in and out of the team under Frank Lampard’s reign, but now his confidence is returning.

Chelsea will need to draw upon this greatly if they are to get anything from the showdown, with an experienced back line crucial against an in-form United attack. 

Captain Cesar Azpilicueta has got his confidence back under Tuchel and looks composed

Captain Cesar Azpilicueta has got his confidence back under Tuchel and looks composed

Antonio Rudiger

Rudiger’s Chelsea career appeared all but over under Lampard, and there were rumours that the Blues both tried and failed to offload him in the summer.

Rudiger is clearly an individual who plays with his heart on his sleeve, much like United’s Victor Lindelof.

Both players are prone to occasionally over-commit and cause a blunder as a result, but Rudiger has been solid for Tuchel since being handed an opportunity to redeem himself.

Tuchel knows he can depend on his countryman, which has been particularly important in the absence of the injured Thiago Silva. 

Antonio Rudiger has been granted a reprieve and taken his chance with both hands

Antonio Rudiger has been granted a reprieve and taken his chance with both hands

Luke Shaw

Throughout his Manchester United career Shaw has always shown flashes of promise and high level performance, but for the first time in a very long while he is playing with a ruthless consistency.

The England man clearly has one eye on Gareth Southgate’s squad list for the delayed European Championships, as has looked every inch the composed full-back United hoped he would be.

Luke Shaw has brought consistency into his game this season and is United's top performer

Luke Shaw has brought consistency into his game this season and is United’s top performer

Shaw has provided impetus for United, in a defence which has previously been criticised for not contributing enough to the all-round play of Solskjaer’s side.

The former Southampton man will look to press on against Tuchel’s side, with Chelsea now playing a new formation under the German boss.

It could be a very risk and reward strategy for United, though the form of Shaw this season suggests giving the 25-year-old room to advance would be a sensible approach. 

Mason Mount

Many feared the worst after Mount was dropped for Tuchel’s first game in charge, after he had made such blistering progress in the last year.

For many, Mount was seen as a symbol of Lampard’s regime and perhaps it was going to be a tale of Tuchel ringing the changes.

Ultimately, this was not the case.

Chelsea’s new boss quickly tinkered with the players at his disposal, identifying what worked and what did not.

Mason Mount has already done enough to show Tuchel he is a Chelsea star in the making

Mason Mount has already done enough to show Tuchel he is a Chelsea star in the making

Mount’s quality has shone through for Chelsea and so it came as no surprise that he quickly reestablished himself in the team.

The youngster has retained a creative role for the Blues and has been encouraged to weigh in with both goals and assists in equal measure.

The former is being worked upon, though a goal against the Red Devils would certainly go a long way to raising him further in Tuchel’s expectations. 

Bruno Fernandes

We are past the point of running out of superlatives for Fernandes.

The Portuguese has been at Old Trafford just over a year but it feels like he has played there all his life.

Fernandes did the impossible in making the Premier League look like child’s play, despite arriving from a lesser-valued league in the form of the Portuguese Superliga.

Bruno Fernandes goes from strength to strength and would walk into any team in Europe

Bruno Fernandes goes from strength to strength and would walk into any team in Europe

He is instrumental to absolutely everything United do, and has already drawn comparisons with the likes of Eric Cantona.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Fernandes walks into any team in Europe right now, with no questions asked.

Chelsea will be acutely aware that if they can stop the midfield maestro from playing, they will have the best chance of success. 

Mateo Kovacic

Kovacic will always be a footballer who divides option, though it’s fair to say that right now he is the first midfield name on the Chelsea team-sheet.

Kovacic is in ahead of the likes of N’Golo Kante, and has took great pleasure in showcasing his talents to his new manager.

Tuchel enjoys having a midfield general who can play on the front foot, has an eye for a killer pass and will drive at the opposition at will.

Mateo Kovacic has taken over in midfield for Chelsea and now drives the team forwards

Mateo Kovacic has taken over in midfield for Chelsea and now drives the team forwards

At PSG he had Marco Verratti for this role, now at Chelsea he has Kovacic.

The diminutive Croatian is clearly a confidence player, and his spirits appear sky high at the moment.

No doubt Tuchel will throw down the gauntlet on Sunday and demand that he comes off better against the imperious Fernandes. 

It will be no easy task by any stretch. If Kovacic manages it, however, it will be fair to assume that the result will be going in favour of the hosts. 

Marcus Rashford

Rashford appears to be in the headlines most weeks, but now it is as much for his football as it is for his political campaigning.

The home-grown hero is hugely building upon his promising talent this season, and looks as though he is on a rapid ascent to becoming the final product.

Rashford is no longer just raw pace but now has the finishing and awareness to match.

Marcus Rashford is steadily adding more and more elements to his all-round game

Marcus Rashford is steadily adding more and more elements to his all-round game

In United’s recent outing, against Newcastle, Rashford opened the scoring by creating a chance from all but nothing.

An exquisite first touch was followed by the awareness to come inside and wrong-foot the defender, before having the understanding to shoot early while the goalkeeper was still grounded.

It was a goal straight from the strikers’ textbook, and United have a real mercurial player on their hands. 

Edinson Cavani

The absence of the Uruguayan has been sorely felt in recent weeks.

Solskjaer is still counting on his lucky stars that Cavani will return for the Stamford Bridge showdown, though there is a quiet confidence he will have shaken off his injury woes in time.

The former PSG man has been a spearhead up front this season, showing age is but merely a number and taking to English football like a duck to water.

Edinson Cavani uses his experience to give United's forward line an added dimension

Edinson Cavani uses his experience to give United’s forward line an added dimension

United appear much more composed up front when Cavani is on the field, and confidence flows through the team in the final third as a result.

The Uruguayan has shown his movement is still as a sharp as ever, and already a telepathic understanding is being strengthened with Fernandes.

Tuchel’s Chelsea are still getting used to their defensive system which has served them well so far, though it can be guaranteed that Cavani – Tuchel’s former trusted attacking lieutenant in Paris – will look to seize upon any flaws. 

Timo Werner

It hasn’t been the best of starts to Premier League life for Werner.

In fact, it’s been downright miserable.

The player himself has admitted he has found the transition from the Bundesliga to the Premier League incredibly tough, but the expectations placed upon his shoulders are like no other.

Demands are always sky high at Chelsea, and Werner was expected to slot in seamlessly and begin smashing in goals from day one.

Timo Werner has struggled this season but in recent weeks has been a nuisance for defenders

Timo Werner has struggled this season but in recent weeks has been a nuisance for defenders

Things haven’t worked out that way, though in recent weeks Werner has started to find himself much more.

Tuchel has clearly worked individually with his compatriot, and now Werner is looking like a threat in the opposition box once again.

The goals are only returning in dribs and drabs, though it must be said that the former Leipzig man is terrifying defenders inside the area.

With penalty decisions now more contentious and seemingly easily-given than ever before, players are scared stiff of going anywhere near the rapid German when he enters the area.

United’s back line are known for throwing themselves into the challenge, though this could come back to haunt them against Werner.