• Jose Mourinho says he will not rotate his squad too much out of respect to a strong Championship opponent, Bristol City.
• Nevertheless, Antonio Valencia will not be risked and the likes of Nemanja Matic, David de Gea and Ashley Young are expected to be given the night off.
• Paul Pogba will start for Manchester United after completing a three-match suspension, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan will return to the squad after being axed for eight of United’s last nine matchday squads.
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic will push for his first start since April after being eased back from injury by Mourinho this season.
• Daley Blind, Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, Scott McTominay, Matteo Darmian and Anthony Martial will also push for starts on Wednesday.

Prediction

• Bristol City knocked out Premier League opposition on three occasions (Watford, Stoke and Crystal Palace) to set up this glamour home tie with holders Manchester United.
• Lee Johnson’s side are third in the Championship and have only lost three games all season. Up against a United side that haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last five away games, Bristol City cannot be underestimated on Wednesday night.

Prediction:

Bristol City

2

2

Manchester United

• Joris Gnagnon finally made his way back into the starting XI in central defence against PSG, but could be called upon in midfield here with André suspended.
• Ludovic Baal continues to struggle with injury; the veteran left-back will have to wait until 2018 to make his return.
• Yoann Gourcuff should return here after missing out at the weekend.

Match Facts

Monacohavewon 17 of their last 19 home matches (Ligue 1).

Monacohavescored at least 3 goals in their last 3 matches against Rennes in all competitions.

Monacohave been winning at both half time and full time in their last 3 matches against Rennes in all competitions.

Monacohavewon their last 3 matches against Rennes in all competitions.

Monacohave seen over 2.5 goals in their last 3 matches against Rennes in all competitions.

Prediction

• Rennes have largely impressed since the arrival of Lamouchi, but this match, on the heels of a contentious loss to leaders PSG, looks a dangerous proposition in terms of sapping the Breton side’s momentum.
• Rennes are unlikely to be as obliging as Saint-Étienne were at the weekend, but Monaco should have no issue dispatching the visitors here.

Prediction:

Monaco

3

1

Rennes

• Joshua King and Charlie Daniels will not play in midweek after both picking up injuries in the 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
• Harry Arter, Junior Stanislas, Steve Cook, Ryan Fraser, Lys Mousset and Artur Boruc will push for playing time on Wednesday.

Prediction

• Chelsea are unbeaten at home since a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City at the end of September. Antonio Conte’s side have won six of the following eight games at Stamford Bridge since then.
• Bournemouth are winless in six matches after their 4-0 thumping at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday. Things aren’t going well for Eddie Howe this season and now they face a tough trip to Stamford Bridge.

Prediction:

Chelsea

3

0

Bournemouth

• Youssef Ait Bennasser returned from injury for the draw against Caen, but Julien Feret is a doubt here.
• Hervé Bazile is fit again and could start on the right.
• Ismael Diomandé is a doubt through injury, but Vincent Bessat returned on Saturday from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
• Attacker Jeff Louis will miss out due to an illness in his family.
• With Djiku suspended, Baissama Sankoh could come into central defense.

Match Facts

PSG are undefeated in their last 32 home matches (Ligue 1).

There have been under 2.5 goals scored in 18 of Caen‘s last 21 games (Ligue 1).

PSG have scored at least 2 goals in their last 9 home matches (Ligue 1).

There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 10 of PSG‘s last 11 games (Ligue 1).

PSG have been winning at both half time and full time in 7 of their last 9 home matches (Ligue 1).

Caenhavefailed to score in their last 4 away matches (Ligue 1).

PSG are undefeated in their last 12 matches against Caen in all competitions.

Prediction

• Despite being somewhat limited in midfield and defense, PSG’s attacking firepower will likely tell against a Caen side who have their own issues with squad depth.
• Having only scored once in their last five matches, Caen have struggled to find a rhythm of late. Much of this is down to what’s been a crowded treatment table, but without any pressure, the visitors could be a surprisingly dangerous opponent.

Prediction:

Paris Saint Germain

2

1

Caen

• Clement Lenglet is sidelined due to suspension for the visitors after picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign.
• Johannes Geis will be asked to fill in as a make-shift central defender yet again for Sevilla.
• Nolito and Joaquin Correa will battle it out to feature on the left wing, with Wissam Ben Yedder likely to be preferred to Luis Muriel up top.

Match Facts

Sevillahavelost 5 of their last 6 away matches (La Liga).

There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Sevilla‘s last 4 away games (La Liga).

Sevillahaveconceded at least 2 goals in their last 4 away matches (La Liga).

Real Sociedad have failed to win their last 5 matches (La Liga).

Prediction

• Real Sociedad are winless in their last five league games, with the pressure definitely building a little bit on their boss Eusebio. They have won just one of their last seven La Liga matches and need a drastic upturn in form before the year is out.
• Sevilla are winless in their last three matches. They are solid at home but have so far failed to find the same level of performances on the road this season.

Prediction:

Real Sociedad

2

2

Sevilla

• Neven Subotic and Marc Bartra provide further options at centre-back, if manager Peter Stöger decides to rotate there.
• Mahmoud Dahoud and Nuri Sahin are the first alternatives in central midfield.
• Stöger does not have many options in attacking positions though and might well field an unchanged side for the third time in a row.

Match Facts

Bayernareundefeated in 29 of their last 30 matches (DFB Pokal).

Borussia Dortmundhavewon their last 5 matches (DFB Pokal).

There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Borussia Dortmund‘s last 5 games (DFB Pokal).

Bayernhave seen over 2.5 goals in their last 4 matches against Borussia Dortmund in all competitions.

Borussia Dortmundhavescored at least 2 goals in their last 5 matches (DFB Pokal).

Bayernhavescored at least 2 goals in their last 4 matches against Borussia Dortmund in all competitions.

Prediction

• Bayern are the Bundesliga’s “Autumn Champions” and head into the winter break with an 11-point lead over Schalke and a 13-point gap between themselves and third-placed BVB. They will nonetheless face a difficult task here and have a lot to lose at home against revived visitors.
• Dortmund sacked manager Peter Bosz after a two-month spell without a win against a top-tier side. His successor Peter Stöger brought stability to the side in his first two games in charge and made BVB defend deeper and take fewer risks in their pressing, which resulted in back-to-back Bundesliga wins.
• This game would be a worthy DFB-Pokal final and Bayern are certainly favourites at home, but BVB have found stability and balance at the right time to keep this game closer than expected.

Prediction:

2

1

Borussia Dortmund