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Man United can add drama to the Premier League title race by beating Chelsea

Marcos Rojo of Manchester United challenges Eden Hazard of Chelsea during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford on October 26, 2014 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Chelsea and Manchester United have combined to win eight of the past 10 Premier League titles. Entering Saturday’s head-to-head clash, Chelsea looks to be on its way to its first league title since 2010.

[Chelsea vs. United: Watch live at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday | Match stats]

However, if the Red Devils manage to extend their four-match winning streak to five games with a win at Stamford Bridge, the title race could get a whole heck of a lot more interesting.

[Premier League: Scores and Schedule | Current Standings | Teams]

By the end of the weekend, both Chelsea and Arsenal will have six matches remaining in the campaign. With the Gunners hosting the Blues a week from Sunday, six points dropped for the West London side against United and Arsenal could close the title race to a four-point difference with five matches to play.

[FC Yahoo: Possible Premier League destinations for Jurgen Klopp]

To be honest, even if Chelsea loses twice in two weeks, it would still likely find a way to edge out Arsenal for the Premier League title, especially considering the Gunners have a mid-May trip to Old Trafford on the calendar. A victory over United on Saturday would all but put the title race to bed once and for all, as the Blues would lead Arsenal by 10 points with six matches to play.

Even at the fortress that is Stamford Bridge, Manchester United should stroll into enemy ground with heads held high and chests puffed out. United has comprehensively conquered its last four opponents starting with a 3-0 victory over Tottenham and concluding with a 4-2 win over Manchester City. Add in a 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield a couple of weeks before the derby demolition, and United’s form appears strong enough to travel these days.

In particular, United’s March 22 trip to Anfield provides parallels to Saturday’s game at Stamford Bridge. At the time, Liverpool had not been playing particularly well after having squeezed out a 1-0 victory against Swansea City and a 0-0 draw against Championship side Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup. United’s arrival at Anfield exposed Liverpool’s dodgy form, as the Red Devils deservedly won the match in front of the Kop.

On Saturday, Chelsea enters the fixture on the backs of a less-than-convincing 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers and a 2-1 victory over Stoke City that featured a match-winner resulting from a goalkeeping distribution error. With an injury crisis at striker tossed in with a couple fortunate results, the Blues seem ripe for the picking. United come in as a healthy side that has found form, so Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea will likely set up defensively.

Unfortunately for the Portuguese tactician, this current crop of Blues has been unable to properly execute his famous negative tactics. Famously, Chelsea attempted to “park the bus” against 10-man Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge and ended up allowing two goals in the process. Even though Chelsea lost the tie and exited the Champions League, they did not lose that match. It ended 2-2.

Mourinho’s Chelsea has only lost one home match this season across all competitions, and that defeat was a 4-2 upset by Bradford City in the FA Cup. Still, two of the past three matches at Stamford Bridge have ended as draws.

Added to all that, former Chelsea stalwart Juan Mata has finally found his place in Manchester United’s setup. The Spaniard won Chelsea’s Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons from 2011 to 2013, but Mourinho exiled Mata to the furthest corner of the substitute’s bench. Mata only started and finished the full 90 minutes thrice under Mourinho, and one of those occasions came in a League Cup match. Ironically, Mata’s last match with Chelsea came against United, but the former Valencia man never even got a chance to take off his warmups.

On Saturday, Mata enters his former home after scoring three goals in his past three matches, and the Spaniard would like nothing more than to beat Mourinho in a revenge game that shakes up the title race. Visitors rarely walk away victorious at Stamford Bridge, but Mata and Manchester United appear the best bet this season to do just that.

If United pulls it off, Arsenal will be waiting.

Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. He has previously written about the 2014 World Cup and 2013 Confederations Cup and regularly provides opinions on the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and @perfectpass