Chelsea vs Manchester United

Stamford Bridge sets the stage for a mouth-watering Premier League showdown between underachieving Chelsea and Champions League hopefuls Manchester United.

Chelsea’s troubling campaign hit a new low at the weekend as they wasted the lead twice against 10-man Burnley, drawing 2-2 at home against one of the hottest relegation candidates. Despite racking up a five-game unbeaten league streak (W2, D3), Mauricio Pochettino’s men commence this round in the bottom half of the table, five points adrift of seventh-placed West Ham. With that in mind, their hopes of returning to European football are still alive, but ending a two-game losing H2H run against Manchester United is imperative for the Blues. That’s easier said than done, considering they last defeated this opposition in Premier League action in 2017, going winless in 12 successive such fixtures since (D7, L5). Chelsea can draw confidence from only losing once in their last eight top-flight outings at Stamford Bridge (W5, D2).

On the other hand, Manchester United nearly pulled off a ‘highway robbery’ in London last weekend, but conceding a 99th-minute equalizer condemned them to a 1-1 draw at Brentford. It was nothing less than they deserved after facing 31 shots on goal. Erik ten Hag’s side can’t afford such a lackadaisical defensive attitude in West London, where they’re unbeaten in their last seven games against Chelsea (W3, D4). With nine points separating them from fifth-placed Tottenham ahead of the kick-off, the Red Devils must improve upon their dismal four-game Premier League form (W1, D1, L2) to increase their chances of securing Champions League football next season. Ten Hag’s backline will probably have to step up to tip the balance scale in United’s favor, considering their wasteful frontline has scored precisely once in their last three competitive away matches.