Manchester United vs. Chelsea Preview

Manchester United is set to host Chelsea at Old Trafford on Thursday at 3 p.m. EDT. Manchester United is a point away from securing a top-four spot after Liverpools’ 1-1 slip up against Aston Villa. After a dreadful season last year and luckily earning a Europa League spot Erik Ten Hag shaped United into a force to be reckoned with this season. Based on Chelsea’s up and down season, with new managers and $100 million players added to the squad pretty much weekly, Manchester United should have no problem beating the Blues and earning their top-four spot.

Chelsea seemingly have nothing to play for as they sit 12th in the table with no chance of European football or relegation. Chelsea is struggling both home and away and can’t seem to find the back of the net. A notable stretch of their season was in April when the team only scored one goal throughout five Premier League games. The Blues are one of the lowest scoring teams this season notching only 36 goals so far this season. This is their lowest scoring season since they netted only 31 goals back in the 1923/24 season before the competition was even called the Premier League.

Manchester United, on the other hand, is a team that thrives in front of their home support. The Red Devils have one of the best defenses in the league with David De Gea achieving the Golden Glove award this season having earned 17 clean sheets. The last time De Gea won the award was back in 2018 when Jose Mourinho was Manchester United manager.

Squad depth has been a recurring issue for Manchester United this season. In the second half of games they tend to take their foot off the gas and grind out wins. Usually when they play at home, Manchester United is dominant and typically scores one or two first-half goals. Chelsea will definitely find it difficult on Thursday and although they love to play the big teams, their confidence and form suggest that the Red Devils will win comfortably and secure Champions League football next season.

(Image via United in Focus)