Manchester United vs Chelsea: Match Preview, Team News, Lineups and Prediction
Manchester United will face Chelsea in a blockbuster Premier League midweek clash on Thursday at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag’s men lost 1-0 to Newcastle United at the weekend as Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of that game. Meanwhile Chelsea scrapped past Brighton in a thrilling 3-2 win at the Stamford Bridge.
Match Preview
Manchester United had a slow start to their season, plus injuries to several key players have also hampered their results.
United won three successive Premier League games against Fulham, Luton and Everton while keeping three clean sheets in the process. But the 1-0 loss against Newcastle have put them on the back foot again. They currently sit 7th in the league table, five points off the top four.
In the Champions League, after being 2-0 up against Galatasaray, Ten Hag’s side blew their 2-0 lead as the game ended 3-3, which has now put them at the bottom of Group A.
As for Chelsea, they also had a slow start to their season, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side are slowly getting up to speed.
They have earned draws against the top four opposition like Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal this season. Moreover, they also thrashed Tottenham 4-1 to end their unbeaten run this season.
The Blues are coming in this game after a 3-2 win over De Zerbi’s Brighton at the weekend. Nevertheless, despite some big results, Chelsea sit 10th in the Premier League table, ten points off top four.
Pochettino will try to exploit United’s weaknesses in this match as he has done against the big oppositions this season to surprise them. A fascinating fixture between the two sides is on the horizon.
Manchester United team news
Casemiro, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Jonny Evans and Christian Eriksen are all out for the clash against Chelsea.
However, ex-Chelsea player Mason Mount is back in training and could return to the squad to face the Blues.
Ten Hag will go with his strongest starting XI, with youngster Kobbie Mainoo starting for the Red devils again. Varane will be benched again as Maguire and Lindelof will start as the centre-back pairing.
Chelsea team news
Malo Gusto, Ben Chilwell, Chalobah, Chukwuemeka and Wesley Fofana will be out for this game against Manchester United.
Nkunku and Romeo Lavia both have returned to train with the squad, but they might not be involved in this game.
Conor Gallagher is suspended from this game after picking up a red card against Brighton. Marc Cucurella will also miss the game due to suspension.
Manchester United vs Chelsea: Predicted line-ups
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; McTominay, Mainoo; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Disasi, Silva, Badiashile, Colwill; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Mudryk, Sterling; Jackson
Prediction
Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea
Despite their good performances against big sides this season, Chelsea would find it very difficult to get a win at Old Trafford. A win for United would not only boost their morale, but it would also prepare them for their big clash against Bayern Munich later this month.
