Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says that new £21m signing Nemanja Matic will not start against Manchester United.
Fellow midfielder Frank Lampard could return from a calf problem but Branislav Ivanovic remains sidelined with a knee injury.
Manchester United manager David Moyes has ruled out strikers Wayne Rooney (groin) and Robin van Persie (thigh) for the trip to Stamford Bridge.
Defender Rafael serves the last of his three-match ban.
MATCH PREVIEW
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. It's the tale of Mourinho versus Manchester United.
Chapter one started with a mad March hare-like sprint down the Old Trafford touchline back in the spring of 2004 as Costinha's last-minute goal for FC Porto won a Champions League second-round tie.
Chapter two, five months later, was Mourinho's first fixture in English football; it ended in a Chelsea win.
Turn the pages and the plot has thickened as these games against United seem to stand like landmarks measuring the highs and lows of Mourinho's story; bringing one of his conspicuous failures when at Inter, one of his major successes at Real Madrid.
In all, with four clubs, Mourinho has faced Manchester United 17 times, losing only twice.
The latest meeting also went the Portuguese's way. Back in August he travelled to Old Trafford with getting a draw plainly on his agenda. He stifled the life out of United and the game and got the goalless stalemate he wanted.
Mourinho's plan for these games against his biggest rivals seems to be to draw away and win at home, and it's working. Chelsea also drew 0-0 in a tedious pre-Christmas bore-fest at Arsenal, drew at Spurs with 10-men and they've beaten Manchester City and Liverpool at the Bridge. So far, so good.
Can Manchester United derail the master plan? It would be the best result yet for David Moyes at United if they do, easily surpassing the crushing victory in Leverkusen.
If United were to lose it would leave them 12 points adrift of Chelsea with only 16 more games to play and surely with far too much to do to even get a mention in the final chapter of the title story.
Even a United win wouldn't catapult them back into the title reckoning, but it could do a huge amount to repair their damaged confidence.
United have won five of their last six league games and are certainly entitled to believe that the top four is an achievable goal. But if they're to do that they need some landmarks wins of their own somewhere. Stamford Bridge would be the best place to start.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Manchester United have won more games than Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with 30 wins to Chelsea's 22.
The last fixture at Stamford Bridge saw United win 3-2 against Chelsea's nine men in October 2012.
Jose Mourinho has never lost a home game against Manchester United in two spells as Chelsea manager.
There have been four red cards in as many seasons in fixtures between the two clubs.
Chelsea
Jose Mourinho is looking for his 100th Premier League victory as manager.
The Blues have won five and drawn one of their last six Premier League games, conceding only two goals.
Chelsea have won a league-high four Premier League matches from losing positions.
It is 19 games since Chelsea last lost at Stamford Bridge - a 1-0 derby defeat by Queens Park Rangers on 2 January 2013.
Eden Hazard has already matched his tally of nine league goals from last season.
Juan Mata has scored on each of his last three league appearances against Manchester United.
Manchester United
United are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League away matches (W5, D2).
They have lost six of their first 21 league matches for the first time since 2001-02.
David Moyes' side have only won two of 10 matches against top-half opposition this season (W2, D3, L5).
The Red Devils have earned 10 points from losing positions, a record bettered only by Chelsea (14).
Danny Welbeck has scored in his last three Premier League games for United, and has six goals in as many appearances.
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