Man Utd vs Chelsea preview, team news, H2H and predicted score

Chelsea make a trip to Manchester to face Manchester United who will be eager to make amends after their disappointing defeat to Newcastle last weekend. 

United dropped to seventh place after an underwhelming performance that saw Newcastle take all three points at St. James Park.

Erik Ten Hag’s side were on the back foot from kick-off as The Magpies dominated proceedings from the onset. United’s first chance of the game came in the 11th minute when Alejandro Garnacho was played through on goal by Bruno Fernandes, but couldn’t keep his composure as Nick Pope saved his near post shot.

Wave after wave of attacks were launched at United as Tino Livramento, Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak rued their chances to put Newcastle ahead, thanks to Harry Maguire’s brilliant blocks and André Onana’s saves.

United managed to survive the onslaught in the first half, but once again, Newcastle came out guns blazing in the second half as Kieran Trippier expertly squared for Anthony Gordon to tap in from close range, to give Newcastle the lead.

The Red Devils appeared to have found their footing late on in the game as Antony thought he had found the equalizer, only for his strike to be ruled out for offside. United’s late persistence was not enough as United fell to two consecutive defeats in a row.

Meanwhile, United’s next opponent, Chelsea, held on with ten men to grind out victory over Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Blues were two goals ahead midway through the first half as headers from Enzo Fernandez and Levi Colwill recorded their first Premier League goals of the season and their first for Chelsea in the League.

Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte’s curler found the far post to half the deficit. Chelsea’s captain, Conor Gallagher was shown a red not long after making it the second game in a row where Chelsea’s captain has been sent off following Reece James’ dismissal against Newcastle. to usher in a nervy second half for the Blues.

The second half began in a nervy manner for The Blues as Brighton exerted dominance in the game. However, Chelsea were much more composed and coordinated, a stark contrast to their game against The Magpies where they were all over the place.

A quick counterattack from Chelsea saw Mykhaylo Mudryk through on goal, before being clattered by James Milner for a penalty. Fernandez calmly slotted the ball into the net to restore Chelsea’s two-goal advantage.

Substitute, João Pedro glanced in a header from Brighton’s corner to half the deficit once again. There was a pulsating last few minutes of the game which saw Armando Broja leave the pitch with a bloody nose, and a penalty ruled out after Colwill was adjudged to have handled the ball.

The full-time whistle ensured Chelsea’s first win on home turf since August, taking them to 10th place in the League.

All attention will now focus on United who will seek redemption after suffering back-to-back losses against Galatasaray and Newcastle.

Chelsea have an abysmal record at Old Trafford, with their last victory recorded in 2013, where a Juan Mata’s strike sealed a 1:0 win for Rafa Benitez’s Chelsea.

United on the other hand have not lost to Chelsea in the Premier League since 2017, and ended a run of five consecutive draws against Chelsea with a 4:1 win last season, extending their unbeaten streak to six matches.

Ten Hag’s men will be inspired by their solid home form against their opponents when they host the Blues in midweek.

Match details

Date: 6 Dec 2023 at 20:15

Kick-off time: 21:15 UTC, 20:15 GMT

Location: Manchester, England

Venue: Old Trafford

Tickets: Supporters can buy Man Utd vs Chelsea tickets via official club channels or trusted resellers online.

Match stats: Head-to-head 

• Man Utd have maintained an unbeaten record in their last six encounters against Chelsea across all competitions.
• Chelsea have not secured a league victory against Man Utd since 2017.
• Chelsea hold a poor record at Old Trafford, having not defeated Man Utd away from home since 2013.
• Marcus Rashford has notably scored four Premier League goals against Chelsea, all occurring at Old Trafford.
• Man Utd are yet to secure a Premier League home win this season by a margin greater than one goal.
• Last season’s 4-1 victory for Man Utd extended a trend of both teams scoring in four consecutive fixtures.
• Chelsea lead the Premier League in card counts, accumulating 44 yellows and two reds this season.
• United and Chelsea have faced off 193 times, with United emerging victorious in 82 of those encounters.
• Last season, Ten Hag’s side secured a 4-1 victory at Old Trafford courtesy of goals from Casemiro, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes, and Marcus Rashford.
• Manchester United’s home form have been inconsistent, winning four and losing four of their seven games at Old Trafford this season, while Chelsea have won three of their six away games.
• Chelsea are yet to trail at halftime this season, often going into the break level in 10 of their 13 Premier League matches. On the other hand, Man Utd have been level at halftime in six of their 13 league games.

Team News

Chelsea’s captain, Reece James’ will be available after missing the game against Brighton due to suspension. Left-back, Marc Cucurella will also be available for this match after suspension following his accumulation of five yellow cards.

Christopher Nkunku has returned to first-team training but Blues head coach, Pochettino felt the game against Brighton was too soon for him. It remains to be seen if he will be involved against United as Chelsea are in dire need of his services.

Romeo Lavia is also out on the grass but the game will come too soon for him to make his long-awaited debut for the club since his arrival from Southampton last summer.

Vice Captain, Ben Chilwell is unavailable following a lengthy spell out on the sidelines. Chilwell is tipped to return next year before the FA Cup matches kicks off.

Conor Gallagher will also miss this match due to suspension, having picked up two yellow cards against Brighton on Sunday.

Carney Chukwuemeka and Trevor Chalobah remain long-term absentees as they’re still undergoing rehabilitation programs.

Mauricio Pochettino will hope that Armando Broja is fine having suffered a bloodied nose against Brighton.

For United, Casemiro will be unavailable having picked up a hamstring injury in United’s Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle. He is tipped to return before the new year.

Left-back, Tyrell Malacia is out of contention for this match due to a niggling knee injury that has required two different operations. The Netherland International is tipped to return early next year.

Mason Mount returned to training before United’s trip to Newcastle. Although the level of recovery from his calf injury is not certain, he could make the matchday squad against his boyhood club if he passes a late fitness test.

Veteran defender Johnny Evans remains sidelined following a muscular problem he suffered in the Champions League clash against Copenhagen.

Lisandro Martinez is recovering from the long-term injury he suffered since April and Ten Hag previously hinted that the Argentine will not be in contention before the festive period.

Christian Eriksen will also be unavailable following a knee injury he suffered in the victory over Luton Town before November’s international break.

Prediction

After defeats to Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal’s Brighton, Manchester City, and Newcastle, United have now lost all five games against teams in the top half of the table going it this season.

This invariably implies that United’s victories have only been against teams in the bottom half of the table, which is a damning stat considering United’s pedigree.

On the other hand, Chelsea’s only loss against teams in the top four was against Aston Villa. They have earned points against Arsenal and Manchester City and also defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the League.

Chelsea’s victory over Brighton took the Blues into the top half and they’ll hope to progress from there to earn Champions League places.

United will need a lot of energy to match Mauricio Pochettino’s men who usually outrun their opponents in the top half of the table.

However, The Red Devils will be inspired by their outstanding record at home against The Blues and will seek to avoid three consecutive losses.

Playing at home would be an advantage and victory would relieve pressure from Ten Hag who has been constantly criticised. But Chelsea are not to be written off as they are capable of producing another big game performance.