Chelsea vs Manchester United Preview

Chelsea vs Manchester United Preview

It`s going to be a good game to watch with Chelsea looking like favorites. The statistics show that Manchester United haven’t won a game at Stamford Bridge since 2012 and that home turf will be a big advantage for the Blues. Despite the massive point gap between the two this is bound to be a very close match, a match that could have Chelsea move just 7 points behind 6th place. Even though United are 5th and Chelsea are 13th, the point gap could be narrowed down to 8 points, points that could be recovered and that could send Chelsea to play in the Europa League. There are a lot of rivalries that will emerge during this game. First you have two of the biggest names in the Premier League’s modern history if not the biggest. Then you have two Dutch managers with very different styles but who will definitely take great personal and professional pride in winning. Then you have what could be Jose Mourinho’s past and future as the Special One is rumored to head to Manchester next season.

In terms of squads both teams have some injuries to deal with. Chelsea are also in doubt regarding the newest signings and their physical status. Goal wise, none of the two have someone who stands out this year. The Blues have the best striker out of the two lots – Diego Costa – who has scored 8 goals this season. When it comes to the latest performances, Chelsea have the upper hand as they have not lost any of their last 6 games. Manchester United have lost against Southampton and are a bit more inconsistent.

Here are the predicted line-ups:

Chelsea:

Starting XI: Courtois; Ivanovic; Zouma; Terry; Azpilicueta; Mikel; Fabregas; Willian; Oscar; Hazard/Pedro; Costa

Substitutes: Begovic; Cahill; Rahman; Loftus-Cheek; Matic; Pedro; Pato

Injured: Remy; Falcao

Manchester United:

Starting XI: De Gea; Borthwick-Jackson; Blind; Smalling; Darmian; Fellaini; Carric; Martial; Mata; Lingard; Rooney

Substitutes: Romero; McNair; Varela; Depay; Januzaj; Herrera; Jones

Injured: Rojo; Schweinsteiger; Valencia; Shaw; Young

Both teams will be playing the same formation which is a 4-2-3-1 with Chelsea being a bit more offensive thanks to Fabregas. It will also be interesting to see if Hazard will be starting or Pedro will be sent in at first.

Score Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Manchester United