Chelsea v Man Utd – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Chelsea face Man Utd in the English Premier League on Thursday. The Blues have lost just once in nine fixtures and have netted 14 goals in their last five matches. United have only been beaten twice in 13 matches but they’re conceding lots of clear chances of late.

Chelsea Form

Chelsea are having a poor season and their hopes of finishing in the European spots in fading. Although they’ve only lost once in nine matches across the league and cup competitions, performances are inconsistent. They lost 1-0 to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final before beating Leeds 3-2 in the FA Cup.

A 2-2 draw at Brentford was a poor result before beating Newcastle 3-2 at home. They surrendered a 2-0 lead and had to score late to beat Leicester 4-2 in the FA Cup. Last Saturday, they drew 2-2 at home to ten-man Burnley as they lost the second half 2-1 with a man extra.

Chelsea Team News

The Blues remain without Reece James and Wesley Fofana in defence. Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell, Trevoh Chalobah, and Malo Gusto are all doubtful. Thiago Silva could return to the XI for this one.

Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia are out injured. Lesley Ugochukwu and Carney Chukwuemeka remain unavailable in midfield.

Chelsea Motivation

Chelsea have a very small chance of finishing in the top seven. Only a win will do in that pursuit.

Pochettino will demand a response from his side and a high-intensity approach. They simply weren’t good enough vs Burnley.

Man Utd Form

United’s last 13 matches have only seen two losses, but they’ve allowed over 22 shots to opponents on average in the last ten matches. A 2-1 home loss to Fulham saw a 97th-minute goal leaked before scoring late to win 1-0 at Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup.

A 3-1 Manchester derby loss to City followed as they were outshot 27-3 and allowed 3.33 Expected Goals. They then allowed Everton 23 shots in a 2-0 home win thanks to two penalties. An impressive 4-3 win in extra time followed to beat Liverpool 4-3. Their last match saw two late goals in a 1-1 draw at Brentford as they allowed 31 shots in their worst performance of the season.

Man Utd Team News

Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are at left-back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka set to cover. Anthony Martial is injured but Amad Diallo is back available after suspension.

Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez have both been ruled out for a month. Harry Maguire will start, and Raphael Varane will have to play despite being subbed off at Brentford. Jonny Evans remains doubtful.

Man Utd Motivation

United needs a win to have any vague chance of finishing in the top five.

They will press Chelsea and look to force transition moments. The issue is how open United are defensively and whether they can avoid conceding a couple of goals.

Key Stats

Chelsea have lost 1 of their last 15 home matches (10 wins, 4 draws)

Chelsea have kept no clean sheets in their last 11 matches (22 goals leaked)

Man Utd have lost 2 of their last 4 EPL matches.

Man Utd’s Rashford has scored 5 goals in his last 10 EPL matches.

Man Utd have allowed 222 shots in their last 10 matches (22.2 per match)

Verdict

This match is bound to have goals for both teams. Chelsea can’t keep clean sheets and Man Utd are giving up chances galore to their opponents. A score draw looks the most likely outcome at Stamford Bridge.

Best Bet: Draw at 4.00
Value Bet: Chelsea Win/draw double chance + Over 2.5 goals at 2.00
Goalscorer Tip: Rashford and Palmer to both score anytime at 6.65

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis