Chelsea predictions vs. Man United: Exploiting the Red Devils’ injuries

Chelsea welcome a depleted Manchester United to Stamford Bridge for an FA Cup tie. Things tilt just slightly in the Blues’ favour, leading our writers to predict a narrow win.

Maurizio Sarri has to feel that circumstances are lining up in his favour with the injuries to Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard. Chelsea may have a chance against a Manchester United side that is missing two of their most dangerous offensive threats, and that chance should be enough to send the Blues through.

Scott Brant: Chelsea 2 – 1 Manchester United. I despise Manchester United, easily my most hated team in the Premier League and possibly the world. I will never predict they beat Chelsea even if they have been much improved under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. Chelsea have their backs against the wall, or at least Maurizio Sarri does. Hopefully Chelsea’s hypnotically boring passing puts United to sleep and they manage to sneak a goal over the line. Eden Hazard has to dominate – again – and will score a brace.

Abhishek Pancholi: 2 – 1. The visitors were Ole-ing their way up the table before Paris Saint-Germain pulled the rug out from under their feet in Europe. That defeat also put two of their best players out of commission for the foreseeable future: Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial. And the news gets better for Chelsea, with Alexis “Enorme Error” Sanchez set to play a role in their FA Cup fifth round tie.

With so many factors loaded in favor of Maurizio Sarri’s team, even His Stubbornness will find it difficult to screw up from here. Forget the youth (for Sarri has): Willian and Hazard will start either side of Gonzalo Higuain. Two of those will get on the scoresheet while Callum Hudson-Odoi makes good use of the time to practice his German on the bench.

Barrett Rouen: 0 – Who even knows any more? I think Chelsea are going to get hammered.

Kevin Peacock: 1 – 0. Never in the history of the world’s oldest domestic cup competition has any club needed the magic of the FA Cup like Chelsea do tonight. For Chelsea to beat Manchester United, Maurizio Sarri will require a miracle. United are on the up escalator and high-fiving Chelsea going down the other way. It’s a scenario that is not unfamiliar to Chelsea fans: a new manager, with radical ideas, on the wane.

However, I have to come up with a score prediction and I can’t see anything but a Chelsea win (I’m lying, but what else can I do). This will be a torturous win for the Blues with the only goal being an absolute “worldy” by Gonzalo Higuain.

Gabe Henderson: 2 – 1. It’s not going to be pretty, but with the injuries plaguing Manchester United, they’re going to get a devastating wakeup call. Maurizio Sarri’s men come out swinging and take a 1-0 lead into halftime. However, early in the second half, United will equalize, only to be stunned by a golazo in the 76’.

Chelsea go through, but just barely after sitting back and defending for the final 20 minutes of the match.