Premier League leader Chelsea welcomes Manchester United to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The two clubs head into this match in very contrasting form. After an embarrassing 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Watford in its last league outing saw Man United sack manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In the Premier League, the Red Devils have earned four points from a possible 21 in their last seven games. Man United suffered bad defeats to its closest and most fierce rivals, Man City (0-2) and Liverpool (0-5), on their home ground, which led to the managerial casualty. The Red Devils are eighth heading into this match, 12 points behind the leaders and six points off the top four. The Manchester side got back to winning ways against Villarreal midweek in the Champions League to confirm its progression to the knockout rounds. The Red Devils shockingly have had more sackings (four) than trophies (three) since they last won the Premier League.
The reigning European champions, the Blues, are going about their business well at the top of the table. They are three points clear of second place Man City heading into the weekend and four points clear of third place Liverpool. Thomas Tuchel’s men are in control of the title race so far. Chelsea picked up 16 points from a possible 21 from their last seven games in the league. Tuchel will be aware that his side has mainly dropped most of its points at Stamford Bridge this season. A 1-0 defeat at the hands of Man City and a 1-1 draw against Burnley are only four of the seven points the Blues have dropped the entire season, the other being a 1-1 draw at Anfield. The Blues, like their opponents, secured a ticket to the knockout rounds of the Champions League. Chelsea overcame a very defiant Juventus side at home, winning by a whopping four goals to nil.
In recent meetings between the two sides, fans saw 0-0 draws in two consecutive games in the league, at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge respectively. Man United did the league double over the Blues in the 2019/20 campaign, then manager Frank Lampard’s first season in the dugout at Chelsea. Down the years, the pair has battled at the very top of the table for the title, classic battles between Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho. In Antonio Conte’s first season in west London, he and then-United manager Mourinho had a touchline confrontation after Chelsea beat United 4-0. That was the start of a short-term rivalry between the two managers.
These past years, both Chelsea and Man United were in top four battles and at the start of this season, both club’s supporters were hopeful of a title push. The Blues are still well on course to meet their domestic objective, but the Red Devils have fallen well off the early pace setters. A win this weekend for Tuchel’s men would cement their place at the top and for Man United, a win would be a very welcome result.
This is the fifth time Chelsea has hosted the Red Devils in a Premier League match when starting the day as the league leaders. The Blues have won three of the previous four, going on to win the title in the season of each of the three victories (2005/06, ’09/10 and ’14/15).
Chelsea vs Manchester United preview: How to watch and live stream Sunday’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge
Date: Sunday, November 28
Time: 11:30 a.m. ET (4:30 p.m GMT)
Location: London, England
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Referee: Anthony Taylor
TV Info: Peacock (US), Sky Sports Premier (UK)
Live Stream: Peacock (US), Sky Go app (UK)