This Saturday Evening oversees a massive clash between two wounded giants who are trying to regain their dominance of English football.
Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer have seen their side start their respective season in a disappointing fashion and with the pace set by Everton at the top, getting a string of victories could prove to be crucial for the race to finish in the Top 4.
Can Chelsea break their horrible record at Old Trafford or will United continue to pile more misery on Frank Lampard’s side, all is discussed below in our Manchester United vs Chelsea Preview?
Manchester United vs Chelsea Preview:
Manchester United Preview:
United had started their campaign in the worst way possible after being on the end of crushing defeats at the hands of Tottenham and Crystal Palace. They did defeat Brighton between those but the 6-1 humiliation at the hands of Tottenham send some much-needed shockwaves around the United camp which has overseen a major improvement since then.
United easily dispatched off a good Newcastle side with a 4-1 victory in the last game week while also securing a win away to Paris Saint Germain in the Midweek Uefa Champions League encounter. Victory symbolized the spirit within the United camp and United showcased a fantastic display in both defense and the attack.
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer will be aware of the importance of carrying the winning momentum and beating Chelsea could prove to be the catalyst of a changed United this term.
Chelsea Preview:
This year’s Transfer window replicated the intentions of the Chelsea Hierarchy for the present as well as the future. Every dropped point will bring an added pressure for the young Chelsea side and a young manager in Frank Lampard.
Chelsea have already dropped 7 points where they have accumulated two wins while drawing twice against West Brom and Southampton along with a comfortable loss at the hands of defending champions, Liverpool.
Conceding goals have been Chelsea’s Achilles heels under Frank Lampard and they have already conceded 9 goals this season. Earning Clean sheets has been a rare sight for Chelsea fans and until they improve in this aspect, they will never compete for the major trophies in foreseeable future.
Chelsea did acquire a clean sheet in Uefa Champions League against Sevilla and Frank Lampard will try to replicate the same against motivated Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s side.
Manchester United vs Chelsea Head to Head:
Man United Wins: 81
Games Drawn: 51
Wins by Chelsea: 55
Manchester United vs Chelsea Previous Encounters:
Manchester United vs Chelsea Preview
As the picture illustrates above, Both sides have a competitive record against each other with Chelsea acquiring two wins in the last 8 Premier League encounters between the side while United have won 4 of those and 2 have ended in a stalemate.
United fans will be happy to see their side’s 5 matches unbeaten streak against Chelsea in the Premier League. Chelsea’s last win against Manchester United stretches back to November 2017 where Alvaro Morata’s header edged them to a hard-fought victory.
Manchester United vs Chelsea Facts:
Chelsea’s struggle at Old Trafford in the last some years has seen them at the end of the losing side several times. As you can see in the picture below, Chelsea’s last four results at the Stadium have been less than pretty and their last win at Old Trafford stretches back to 2013 under the guidance of Rafael Benitez.
In the last 10 Encounters between the two sides, only one match has seen no goals by either side which took place in December 2015.
Marcus Rashford has scored 3 goals in his last 8 encounters against Chelsea with all the three goals coming at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have earned Penalty calls in their last three encounters from which two have been converted while one has been missed by their penalty taker Bruno Fernandes. With players like Rashford, Greenwood running at the Chelsea defense, penalty calls are likely to be seen.
Injury News:
Manchester United Injury News:
Anthony Martial is suspended for this encounter due to his red card offense against Tottenham.
Eric Bailly will be out with an injury he suffered on International Duty.
Chelsea Injury News:
Chelsea have no fresh injury concerns except Billy Gilmour who will stay out for at least two to three weeks more after the Injury he suffered at the end of last season.
Manchester United vs Chelsea Predicted Line Ups:
Manchester United vs Chelsea Preview
Manchester United replicated an impressive performance against Paris Saint Germain where they took the intent and defeated PSG in a convincing fashion. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer will want to continue the winning momentum and therefore changes by United are difficult to see for this encounter.
Chelsea on the other hand have not started the season in an amazing fashion and their defensive performance against Southampton showcased the problems in Chelsea setup. They did replicate a good defensive display against Sevilla and Frank Lampard will look to keep the same setup for the United encounter. The only change I expect for this encounter is for either Kai Havertz or Mason Mount to be dropped for an extra body in the midfield by Chelsea.
Manchester United vs Chelsea Prediction:
Manchester United vs Chelsea Preview
Chelsea defensively is a very leaky side who regularly concede a lot of goals. They have already shipped away 9 goals this season while their opponents on Saturday have also conceded 12 goals this season. Thiago Silva and Mendy could prove to be the glue to fixing Chelsea’s defensive problems this season and whenever both have been involved for this Chelsea side, Chelsea only conceded 1 goal in those 3 games they were part of, So there return to full fitness was a big boost for a Leaky Chelsea defense.
Manchester United will try to exploit the space left by Chelsea when they press and will rely on Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford to take those opportunities. Frank Lampard did take a route of a back three formation the last time both the sides met and Chelsea’s relentless pressing pegged United in their own box which led to a comfortable Chelsea win. Frank will not follow the same system but he will still demand relentless pressing by his energetic Chelsea side which has better attackers at disposal than last season.
Manchester United will rely on Aaron Wan Bissaka’s performance to keep Chelsea’s attack at bay and the defenses of both sides will decide the outcome.
Both managers have a leaky defense along with a flamboyant attack and we might see a cautious approach by both the managers. Therefore I expect this match to end in a low scoring stalemate.
My Prediction: Manchester United 1–1 Chelsea
This was our Manchester United vs Chelsea Preview, hope you all enjoyed it and do leave your predictions below in the comment section.
Credits: 11v11
