There is a lot of hype around the Manchester United camp after Ten Hag’s dismissal, and how the team will pick itself up in time to host Chelsea. Ruud Van Nistelrooy will take over managerial duties at Carrington, but the nature and timing of Ten Hag’s departure comes as quite a bombshell.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have found great form and are playing some of their most exciting football in a long time. Enzo Maresca has assembled a young and dangerous team that could, arguably, give the Premier League outright favourites a good run for their money. Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo and Noni Madueke are all gelling well together under Maresca. And to rub salt in United’s wounds, Jadon Sancho has also found his form.
Man Utd vs Chelsea Game Stats
November 3, Sunday 16:30 @ Old Trafford
The big game will take place on Sunday, well after Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham have played their games. A win for Chelsea could see them break the top 4, so I’m expecting Maresca to field his very best team and push for that all important first goal. The gossip in Manchester right now is all pointing towards Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim getting the Manchester United managerial job, but even if he does put pen to paper at Old Trafford, there is simply not enough time for him to really implement his strategy.
So instead, the Red Devils‘ faithful will get to see van Nistelrooy guide the team, and they will be hoping the transition will give the players enough of a lift to come away with 3 valuable points.
Man Utd vs Chelsea Game Predictions
There is no doubt that the changes in Manchester will give the team some kind of inspiration, and the bookies reckon this will be a very evenly matched encounter. It has not been all plain sailing for Chelsea, who lost to Liverpool last weekend and were held to a draw at home to Forest, who had been reduced to 10 men. But Chelsea look like a club with a vision, whereas Manchester United seem to struggle against every team. Even in games where they have taken a 1 goal or 2 goal lead.
A Feast of Shots and Chances
I really like this Chelsea team, and though many punters may not agree, they remind me of the early Liverpool team under Klopp. Relentless in attack and with plenty of pacey forwards, they enjoy causing havoc and do not hold back when it comes to popping off long range efforts or slicing through defenses. United will also be keen to impress and mark the beginning of the post Ten Hag era.
Manchester United have plenty of defensive woes, with Maguire, Yoro, Malacia and Luke Shaw all out injured. Chelsea also find it hard to keep a clean sheet, even in games where they are dominant. So I’m expecting a high volume of shots, and for plenty of strikes to hit home in this fixture.
Over 3.5 Goals @ 5/4
Players to Watch
Cole Palmer is no one season wonder. He has already scored 7 goals in the Premier League this season, and I can easily see him vying for the Golden Boot come May. He scored a hattrick against United last season, and even scored at Old Trafford last season in a 2-1 loss. To play a little safe, I will opt for Cole Palmer to score or assist, as he also has a keen eye for delivering deadly passes into the box.
Cole Palmer to Score or Assist @ 22/25
Zirkzee has not had quite the impact that United needed in attack, and Hojlund has not done much since returning from his injury. Van Nistelrooy likes Rashford, Diallo and Garnacho, and I can imagine him settling for United’s most reliable wingers to back Hojlund in attack. Garnacho is an exciting player to watch, and given a good pass and the right space, he can be extremely dangerous. I won’t back him to score, but Garnacho should get at least 1 shot on target in this game.
Alejandro Garnacho Over 0.5 Shots on Target @ 1/2
High Alert on Set Pieces and Corners
Man Utd’s last 2 games have finished with 11 corners, and they are quite dangerous from set pieces. Chelsea racked up over 11 corners in their games against Newcastle and Forest. Against Liverpool, it was a different story, and it seems that for both United and Chelsea, when they are facing big opponents, the games do not bring lots of corners. But I think that given the circumstances, and that I’m expecting lots of shots this game, the corners should not fall far behind.
Manchester United is probably more threatening from corners, with Matthijs de Ligt, Rasmus Hojlund and Casemiro all quite adept at heading in the ball. Both teams have conceded from corners, and as they have speedy wingers who like to break in from the sides, I can see lots of forced corners during the game.
Total Corners Over 10.5 @ 8/11
Predicting Who Will Win
I have looked at several bookies and all seem to give even odds on Chelsea or United winning. I am leaning slightly more towards Chelsea to win this encounter, but I think there is better value in predicting what will happen in the first half, rather than the match outcome. United tend to score fewer goals in the first half, leaving the hard work to be done in the second half. They also tend to concede more in the first half than the second, but Chelsea are also guilty of allowing goals at the end of the first half.
I’m going to cover 2 of the 3 possible outcomes at the end of the first half with a double chance bet. The atmosphere in Old Trafford should encourage the team to start strong, and I’m backing United to win the first half, or for them to at least end the half in a draw.
Manchester United or Draw: First Half @ 4/9
BettingTools Man Utd vs Chelsea Bet Builder
I don’t really like putting too many predictions into one bet builder, but the selections here are quite versatile and can come through if the match is very open – which bookies suggest it should be. Instead of picking the match winner, I have left the door open for United to win the first half, or for the half to end in a draw. The game should finish with over 3.5 goals, which can happen quite easily given the squad depth of Chelsea and the reinvigorated spirit in Old Trafford.
Total corners may be a riskier shout, but the corners should rack up quite quickly if these two both start on the front foot. Should Chelsea score, it seems a no brainer that Cole Palmer will be involved somehow. United will want to unleash Garnacho to give Chelsea cause for concern, and he should get at least 1 shot on target, if he doesn’t score.
If you think there are too many picks, feel free to take out one and adjust the odds to your liking. I find that having a good acca odds calculator handy is always good when planning my bet builder accas.
