Chelsea are now closing in on arguably the biggest game of their season, welcoming Manchester United to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. It feels as though it is now or never for the Blues as far as a top four finish goes, seven points Aston Villa in fourth and Man Utd in third.
Fifth place is also going to be an extra Champions League spot, though, and Chelsea are only four points behind Liverpool in fifth, but Liam Rosenior's men are in poor form.
Three straight league defeats have seen Chelsea slip in the Champions League race, and they need a big win. This game would certainly fit the bill, playing against a direct rival, and it's a United side that comes into this game on the back of a disappointing home defeat to Leeds United last time out.
And during that one, United were dealt a fresh suspension blow, with Lisandro Martinez picking up a red card for violent conduct - pulling hair, to be specific - and that means he will miss this one, as will Harry Maguire, who was sent off in the game before.
That means there is a significant gap in the heart of the United defence, and the hole could be plugged by a player who has just 18 Premier League appearances in Ayden Heaven.
Ayden Heaven could start for Man United against Chelsea
“I think Ayden’s in a good place," Red Devils boss Michael Carrick said in his pre-match press conference. “Well, I know he’s in a good place. He’s obviously still young and he's progressing through the early stages of his career, so I think it’s pretty natural for him to play some games and maybe not some others.
“He's training really well, he's learning, he's listening, he wants to improve. So, I think it’s pretty natural, for a centre-half of his age, he’s probably well ahead of schedule in terms of the games that he's played.
“He's trained well, I've got no worries. He went away and played with England a couple of weeks ago and done well, so yeah, [he's] looking forward to the game, for sure.”
Heaven has filled in here and there this season, racking 14 Premier League appearances in all, but only eight of those have been starts. Interestingly, though, only two of those eight starts have been wins, and one of them was a 4-4 draw with AFC Bournemouth, though it would be unfair to suggest Heaven was the sole reason United bled goals in that game.
Either way, Chelsea will be hoping to take full advantage of United's lack of experienced options at centre-back this weekend.
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