After a two-week break, Manchester United return to action with two matches that could arguably make or break their 2019-20 season. Monday sees the Red Devils travel to Stamford Bridge to renew their rivalry with Chelsea, while the Europa League Round of 16 begins with Club Brugge awaiting.

It’s felt longer than six months since the season-opening win over the Blues at Old Trafford, a game that almost felt too good to be true for United supporters. Given what’s transpired on the field since, it supposedly was too good to be true. In the 24 Premier League matches since, United have seen eight wins, eight draws, and eight losses. While some of the wins have come against high-profile opponents, including Tottenham and Manchester City, losses to the likes of Watford and Burnley have put a dent in their ambitions for a top-four finish.

To be fair, a lot of the issues have been injury-related; Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, and Scott McTominay have all missed significant amounts of time, and the club is undoubtedly better with those men on the field. But as mentioned in previous posts, it’s a curious dynamic of United seeming to show up for the big games, while barely showing any interest against other opponents.

That brings about the question of how seriously Manchester United will take the Europa League. In 2017, Jose Mourinho put all his stock into winning the competition and returning to the Champions League, and it paid off with victory in the Final over Ajax. Now, with the potential UEFA competition ban being assessed to Manchester City, United could potentially qualify for the Champions League if they finish fifth in the Premier League, and a win at Chelsea certainly keeps those hopes more than alive. The million-dollar question remains: which Manchester United team shows up not just Monday, but Thursday against Club Brugge? Expect this week’s results to give an indication on how the rest of the season will unfold.