Chelsea will host Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday evening, looking to get back to winning ways after the draw against Brentford in their last outing.
Manchester United come into the game against Chelsea on the back of a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. And the Red Devils will be full of confidence right now. Erik ten Hag’s men are currently unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, and they have not lost since the humiliating defeat to Manchester City.
Chelsea are yet to lose under Graham Potter, and they will hope to continue that streak with a victory against Manchester United at home. The Blues are currently fourth in the league table, and Manchester United are just a point behind in sixth place.
This is a golden opportunity for the Red Devils to get inside the top four with a win at Stamford Bridge, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top here. The last few meetings between these two sides have ended in a draw, and both teams will be determined to grind out all three points here.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Watch Graham Potter look ahead to our game with Manchester United! https://t.co/WzVN4S1Vq0
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 21, 2022
Chelsea will be without summer signing Wesley Fofana due to an injury. Meanwhile, N’Golo Kante and Reece James are sidelined as well. Apart from the three players, Graham Potter will have a fully fit squad to choose from against Manchester United.
The Blues will likely line up in a 3-4-2-1 system, with Kepa Arrizabalaga featuring in goal. The Spaniard has been in outstanding form recently, and he will retain his spot ahead of Edouard Mendy.
In the back three, Trevoh Chalobah is set to start on the right-hand side, with summer signing Kalidou Koulibaly featuring on the left. Brazilian international Thiago Silva will marshal the defence from the middle.
Marc Cucurella will likely start as the left-sided wing-back, and he will be expected to provide some width to the side going forward apart from his defensive duties. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is likely to be deployed as a right-wing back again, and he will be expected to contribute to the offensive phase of the game as well as help out the defenders from time to time.
In the heart of Chelsea’s midfield, Mateo Kovacic will partner Jorginho. While the Croatian midfielder will be expected to add creativity and drive in the middle of the park, Jorginho will look to control the tempo of the game with accurate short passing.
Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling will start in the attacking midfield positions. and the duo will likely drift into the wide areas from time to time. Finally, Pierre-Emerick Aubayemang will lead the line for Chelsea against Manchester United after starting on the bench against Brentford.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Koulibaly; Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Jorginho, Cucurella; Sterling, Mount; Aubameyang
Manchester United
Manchester United have a number of injury problems heading into this weekend’s contest. Anthony Martial, Donny Van de Beek, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire are expected to miss out. Meanwhile, star striker Cristiano Ronaldo is suspended after he decided to walk off before the match against Tottenham finished.
The Red Devils are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with David de Gea starting in goal. Portuguese defender Diogo Dalot is set to start as the right-back after impressing on a consistent basis this season.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez have forged a quality partnership at the heart of Manchester United’s defence, and they will retain their place in the starting eleven. England international Luke Shaw is set to start as the left-back.
Ten Hag on Ronaldo removed from squad: "It will have a reflection for him, but also for everyone". 🔴🇵🇹 #MUFC
"First time with Rayo wasn’t acceptable, but he wasn’t only one. The second time has consequences. Football is a team sport and you have to respect standards". pic.twitter.com/QUbORCkJn6
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 21, 2022
In the midfield, Fred and Casemiro were outstanding against Tottenham, and both players will be expected to perform at a similar level at Stamford Bridge. They will look to break up the Chelsea play and set up counter attacks for their teammates.
Bruno Fernandes dropped a masterclass against Tottenham, and he will be a key player for Manchester United at Stamford Bridge as well. The Portuguese international will look to add creativity in the final third and chip in with goals as well.
Summer signing Antony will start on the right flank, and Jadon Sancho is likely to operate as the left-sided winger. Marcus Rashford will lead the line for Manchester United against Chelsea, and he will hope to get on the scoresheet here after missing glorious chances against Tottenham.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Fred, Casemiro; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Sancho; Rashford
Key Stats
- Chelsea have drawn their last four matches against Manchester United in all competitions.
- Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in their last three matches in the Premier League.
- Chelsea have scored at least two goals in their last five home matches in the Premier League.
- Chelsea have won their last three home matches in the Premier League.
- Manchester United are undefeated in ten of their last 11 matches against Chelsea in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes has now scored more goals for Manchester United than Juan Mata, Roy Keane & Steve Bruce:
Roy Keane – (480 👕 51 ⚽)
Steve Bruce – (414 👕 51 ⚽)
Juan Mata – ( 285 👕 51 ⚽)
Bruno Fernandes – (140 👕 52 ⚽)What a beauty. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9kRiEjKCRJ
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) October 19, 2022
Bruno Fernandes did not have the best of starts to the season, but it looks like he is getting back to his best. The Portuguese playmaker will be looking to build on the performance against Tottenham and produce another important showing against Chelsea this weekend.
Bruno Fernandes has the ability to create chances out of nothing and has an eye for goal as well. The Manchester United skipper will be our man to watch against Chelsea as Manchester United look to secure a morale-boosting win.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
Both teams are quite evenly matched on their current form, and separating them will be difficult. This is likely to be a closely-contested affair, and the two sides will likely cancel each other out in the end. A draw seems like the most probable result this weekend. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 stalemate between Chelsea and Manchester United.
