Man Utd ranked above Chelsea after the first 14 rounds of the 2023/24 Premier League season. However, that does not reflect the true performance of the two teams.
December started off stormy for Man Utd when the team lost 0-1 to Newcastle. Coach Erik ten Hag and his team continue to face a difficult and dense schedule.
In a situation of poor performance, rumors about internal instability surround Man Utd. Coach Erik ten Hag’s risk of losing his job increases with each loss.
Chelsea is not as bad as their opponents, even though their position is lower. Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s team gradually stabilized their playing style but there were still many mistakes in both attack and defense.
Man Utd has not won any matches this season against opponents in the top half of the rankings. On the contrary, Chelsea showed very good performance when facing teams in the “Big Six” group. They won against Tottenham and drew with the three teams currently at the top of the rankings: Arsenal, Liverpool, and Man City.
However, the performance against Man Utd alone is what makes Chelsea fans worried. Man Utd has not lost a match to Chelsea in the Premier League in the past 5 years. At Old Trafford, the last time Chelsea defeated the home team (not in the cup arena) was 10 years ago.
Man Utd and Chelsea had a series of 5 consecutive draws (1-1, 0-0) stretching back to 2020 before the “Red Devils” won 4-1 in the most recent encounter.
Man Utd force vs Chelsea
Man Utd is definitely without Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Amad Diallo, Jonny Evans (injury) and Jadon Sancho (internal discipline). Mason Mount has had to practice separately in recent days and is unlikely to recover in time.
Chelsea lost Wesley Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Malo Gusto, Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia due to injury. Fullback duo Reece James and Marc Cucurella return after suspension.
Expected lineup Man Utd vs Chelsea
Man Utd: Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; McTominay, Mainoo; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Disasi, Badiashile, Colwill; Fernandez, Caicedo; Sterling, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson