Another big Premier League match awaits as Manchester United travels to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to take on Chelsea.
United appointed a new interim manager, Ralf Rangnick yesterday, but he will not be able to lead the team against Chelsea. Carrick and his boys will be aiming to put a block in Chelsea’s impressive run.
The Blues are seated at the top spot in the Premier League table this season, and Thomas Tuchel is eager to add the domestic title to the Champions League trophy he won earlier this year. On Wednesday, the Blues thrashed Juventus 4-0 in the Champions League.
United is in seventh place heading into the weekend and will be underdogs against the in-form Londoners, but an outstanding win over Villarreal on Tuesday can give them confidence.
Thomas Tuchel’s team has had an incredible season so far, winning nine of their first 12 league games and maintaining a three-point lead over Manchester City.
The fact that Chelsea has scored 30 goals and conceded only four in the league speaks for itself, and the Blues’ train shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Man United will play their first league game after sacking Solskjaer last week.
After last Saturday’s catastrophic 4-1 loss to Watford, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was replaced in the dugout by Michael Carrick, and a win here would be a significant boost as they attempt to cut the gap on the top four.
Chelsea vs Manchester: Head-to-head
Total games played between the two sides: 31 matches
Manchester United wins: 14 wins
Chelsea wins: 10 wins
Draws: 7
Last season’s matches that were played behind closed doors saw Chelsea and United play out a couple of goalless draws, but we have a solid recent record against the Blues in the Premier League, having not lost to the Londoners since November 2017.
Stamford Bridge has long been a thorn in our team’s progress, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s Reds lasting a decade without winning at the Stamford Bridge between 2002 and 2012.
The fact that since Tuchel became the manager, they have just conceded 24 goals in 50 appearances. Their defensive work rate speaks volumes of its performances.
50 – This was Thomas Tuchel’s 50th match in charge of Chelsea in all competitions, and 32nd win (D11 L7). The Blues have kept 31 clean sheets in those 50 games, more than any other side in Europe’s big-five leagues in this period, conceding just 24 goals. Elite. pic.twitter.com/yZg0FmizK7
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 23, 2021
Whereas, Man United will play their first league game after sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Their defensive record has not been very pleasing as they have kept just a single clean sheet in their past eight league games.
Things have improved in recent years, and we’re now unbeaten in five visits to the Blues’ stadium. Chelsea has failed to score even a single goal in their past four meeting with Manchester United.
Our last meeting:
The two clubs’ most recent meeting was a pretty dismal goalless draw at Stamford Bridge, following a very dry match at Old Trafford earlier in the season.
The game’s best moment came when United was denied a penalty despite Callum Hudson-Odoi seeming to handle the ball within the area, with referee Stuart Atwell opting not to overrule the decision after consulting the pitchside monitor.
After that, David De Gea was called upon to stop Hakim Ziyech’s strike, while Scott McTominay and Fred came near, but neither side appeared to be capable of genuinely breaking the dreadlock in this behind-closed-doors match.
That stalemate gave United their fifth 0-0 draw of the season against the ‘Big Six,’ while the Blues maintained their good defensive record under new manager Tuchel.
Form Guide(In all Competitions):
Chelsea: WWDWW
Manchester United: WDLLW
Chelsea vs Manchester United: Team News
Manchester United:
On Sunday, United will be without captain Harry Maguire, who is serving a one-match suspension after being sent for two bookable offences against Watford. Maguire has only missed six Premier League games since joining Leicester in August 2019.
Both Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane are still out, though Varane is expected to return next month after missing three weeks with a hamstring injury.
Luke Shaw (concussion) and Edinson Cavani (tendon) did not travel to Spain with the rest of the team, and it is unclear if either will be fit to play this weekend. Mason Greenwood was just diagnosed with COVID-19 and was ruled out of the trips to Watford and Villarreal.
Chelsea:
Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell and N’Golo Kante will be checked after leaving the pitch injured in their last match, a 4-0 Champions League triumph against Juventus on Tuesday.
After a month on the sidelines, Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner returned to the Chelsea team for that match, with the latter going on to score Chelsea’s fourth and final goal. Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovavic both missed the match against the Old Lady due to thigh injuries.
Opposition Key Man: Reece James
Right now, James is the most dangerous player in the country. His attacking prowess may even be changing wing-back expectations.
James has scored five goals and assisted five times this season, giving him a combined total of more goals and assists than any other Chelsea player. He has a goal or an assist every 100 minutes in all competitions.
James has always been regarded as a future Chelsea star, and while Frank Lampard deserves credit for elevating him to the first team, it is his successor who is taking his game to the next level. The biggest noticeable shift in James’ playing is how frequently he finds himself in scoring opportunities.
His wonderful goal against Juventus was just the latest example of how he is strategically timing his runs to ensure he has enough space to shoot when the ball reaches him at the back post.
5 – Reece James (5 goals, 5 assists) is one of only two players to both score 5+ goals and assist 5+ goals in all competitions for Premier League clubs this season, along with Mo Salah (16 goals, 7 assists). Hot. pic.twitter.com/Vk1iVJlxza
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 23, 2021
Manchester United has to be sharp in closing the gaps and tracking the defender every minute. Our full-backs will need to be fast and alert. Maguire and Lindelof have been criticized for lack of pace and exposing themselves at the back numerous times by their slow passing.
This needs to be taken care of against Chelsea as players like James are already waiting to pounce on every loose ball.
Our Prediction for the match:
As Chelsea is in red hot form, we can see them score more goals at their home ground. Thomas Tuchel will be throwing all his tactical attacks on our players and Michael Carrick’s men will need to respond well.
United will put in a tough fight, but Chelsea still remains heavy favourites to win this contest.
Our Score: Chelsea 3-1 Manchester United
