Sunday’s clash at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United has the feel of a really massive game for both sides. Chelsea come into this game four points behind Manchester United and a further nine behind leaders Manchester City, meaning that if they lose on Sunday they are all but out of the title race. There are rumours of discontent at Chelsea with Antonio Conte constantly seeming like he is in disagreement with the board and some newspaper reports have suggested that should he lose on Sunday he will be out of a job. Jose Mourinho would love to pick up a win against his former club and he will be relishing the chance to get one over on a manager he has never seen eye to eye with.
Premier League – Stamford Bridge, London – Sunday 5th November – 16:30 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 21/10 at Skybet |
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Chelsea
Manchester UnitedChelsea
Chelsea come into this game in inconsistent form with two wins and two defeats in their last four Premier League games as well as a draw and a defeat against Roma in the Champions League. Chelsea were very poor against Roma on Wednesday night during their 3-0 loss and Antonio Conte must decide on a consistent backline if he wants to see his defence improve. Conte has a largely fully fit squad to choose from with just Victor Moses missing from his first choice squad. Alvaro Morata has made steady progress since returning from injury and Conte would dearly love a big performance from his frontman this weekend.
Manchester United
Manchester United picked up a huge win against Tottenham Hotspur in their last Premier League match thanks to Anthony Martial’s late strike. Jose Mourinho needed that victory after a draw with Liverpool and a defeat to Huddersfield Town had seen his side slip five points behind leaders Manchester City. It has been a tough few weeks for The Red Devils as the injuries have mounted and they will again be without Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick, Marcos Rojo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jesse Lingard this weekend.
Talking Points
1. The away side has failed to win in each of the last nine fixtures between these two sides.
2. Only two out of the 25 Premier League matches between these two sides has ended goalless.
3. Romelu Lukaku has gone six games without finding the net in all competitions.
Prediction
This is a huge game for both sides and I think that could lead to a very tight, cagey affair in which the first goal will be key. There are a number of storylines in this game; Mourinho returning to Chelsea, Conte facing the sack, Lukaku not scoring for six games but facing his old side and it will be interesting to see which one of those comes to the fore during the game. Mourinho likes to keep it tight in the big games and I wouldn’t be surprised if this game ends in a goalless draw on Sunday.
Betting Tips (Ladbrokes)
Chelsea start this game as narrow favourites at 6/4 to pick up the win, whilst an away win for Manchester United is priced up at 11/5 with the draw available at 21/10. I think this will be a really tight game and the BTTS (NO) bet at 4/5 looks like a really solid bet to me as I think if anyone scores it will finish 1-0. Romelu Lukaku is available at 15/4 to open the scoring and end his mini goal drought and that could be worth a look too.
BTTS (NO) – 4/5 (Ladbrokes)