Chelsea versus Manchester United is the fourth showdown of the season between the big-four teams in the English Premier League and the latest clash could follow the trend of previous encounters by producing another home win.
Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-0 at home, while United have already had two big-four clashes - winning 2-1 at home against Arsenal but losing 2-0 when they travelled away to Liverpool. The insipid display at Anfield is a major negative against United for this latest tough away trip, and they will have to improve significantly to stop the Blues.
Under Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea have rediscovered the excellent home form that underpinned their title triumphs for Jose Mourinho. Their record at Stamford Bridge in those two title-winning seasons was won 32, drawn six, lost none, and they won five out of six against the other members of the big four.
Chelsea have remained a tough team to beat at Stamford Bridge in the intervening years, but they have not been as strong against the elite teams. Last season's home form was poor by their standards, with only three wins out of nine against the teams who finished in the top half of the table and just one point from their three home games against big-four sides.
Ancelotti has engineered a return to Chelsea's form of the Jose Mourinho days, with five wins out of five in the Premier League as well as a 100 per cent record in their two Champions League home games. Six of those seven home wins have been to nil, which shows the enduring quality of their defence, but the transformation has been in their goal-scoring capacity.
They are averaging close to three goals per game at home, having scored two or more in six out of seven games, and it is difficult to escape the conclusion that Ancelotti's much-discussed diamond formation has been the key to their success.
Last season they averaged under two goals per game at Stamford Bridge, which was the principal reason behind the decline in their home-win rate. This season Chelsea's goal difference is already eight ahead of United's, and it is clear that Chelsea are operating better at both ends of the pitch than the defending champions.