Chelsea vs. Man U: Predictions for top four (is it top five now?) six-pointer
Chelsea welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge for what used to be called a battle for the top four, but is now a battle for top five. Thanks, City!
Manchester City’s removal from the Champions League equation means the Premier League’s fifth-place team will qualify for the top European tournament this year. Neither Chelsea nor Manchester United want to cash in on that safety net, but it’s quite likely one of them will end up there. This match will go a long way to shaping that outcome.
Kevin Peacock: Chelsea 2 – 1 Manchester United. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and the temperature has certainly dropped since that 4-0 defeat up at Old Trafford in Frank Lampard’s first game in charge of Chelsea. Lampard will be keen to not let emotions get in the way as the team embarks on three crucial games that could define their season.
As ever, predicting any Chelsea result is tricky, this one more so because of both teams’ unpredictability. I’m not in the habit of wishing defeat upon Chelsea, so I will go for a less than comfortable 2-1 win – going early with that one. Tambraham and Mateo Kovacic with the goals.
Scott Brant: 2 – 1. Finally the Blues have returned. Manchester United have gotten the best of these meetings thus far, but the buck stops here. Both defenses are abysmal and hard to watch at times. The Blues win a tight one with another goal coming from the defense.
Barrett Rouen: 2 – 0. I don’t think this game is going to be a very good one. Chelsea tend to be rubbish at home and Manchester United are generally rubbish, well, all the time now. So that doesn’t make for much of a feast for the eyes.
If United score it will be through Bruno Fernandes., but I don’t think they will. Tammy Abraham to do the business and then someone unexpected for the second.
Varun Dani: 2 – 1. Two sides with heavily depleted attacks facing off in a top-four (top-five?) six-pointer will make for a clash that could give you an invigorating end to mundane Monday. This match will be a scrappy affair rather than a quality one, with both sides relying on physical attributes and mistakes to capitalize to win.
Chelsea’s error prone back line with an error prone goalkeeper will surely concede, but big match spirit can limit it to just the one.
Nate Hofmann: 0 – 1. After Aston Villa handed three points to Tottenham on Saturday, next weekend’s clash could make or break Chelsea’s season. So, somehow, a home match against Manchester United has become a potential trap game.
If this season has proven anything, it’s that this set of players is still struggling to master the type of focus and mentality that produces professional performances on a consistent basis. It would make life so much easier on Lampard & Co. to pick up these three points and take some of the pressure out of the upcoming Spurs match, but, unfortunately, this Chelsea side rarely does itself any favors.
The story of this match will read just like the Bournemouth and West Ham losses: sterile dominance that disintegrates in the second half, allowing a subpar opponent to steal the win. The good news is that it’ll keep Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in Ed Woodward’s good graces for a little while longer, which is a win for every club other than United. So at least there’s that.
Tan Yi Hao: 3 – 2. Ole Gunner Solskjaer is by no means a good manager but the personnel at his disposal allows United great potential to hit teams on the break and find wins against possession-oriented teams such as Arsenal and Liverpool. Even without the superb Marcus Rashford, the Red Devils remain extremely dangerous on the break with Anthony Martial up top, a trait never more obvious than in Chelsea’s 4-0 loss to United in the reverse fixture. And that was before the arrival of Bruno Fernandes.
Lampard needs something different tactically or in his lineup to get a result at home. Considering his tactical masterclasses away to Spurs and Arsenal less than two months ago, back him to find a result against United.
Talking tactics. Don't worry, OGS doesn't know either. light
Olaoluwa Nwobodo: 2 – 1. Chelsea is out for revenge, the cushion they had in the top four has been cut to two points. They will want to widen it. Manchester United have potent talents that can hurt Chelsea, however the Blues have motive, vendetta and pride to play for, along with their own talent.
It is another home game, which means Chelsea has the disadvantage, but this will be the game where the Blues break their home curse.
Abhishek Pancholi: 2 – 1. For some reason unbeknownst to us plebs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appears to have Frank Lampard’s number when it comes to these two sides. Chelsea will do their utmost to take the lead, but get sucker punched on a counterattack.
dark. Next. All-time most underappreciated Blues: 4 players, 2 managers and the good doctor
They’ll be down by two goals before the hour, with only a late strike adding some late drama to a strangely subdued game.