Chelsea host Manchester United in a proper heavyweight clash in the Premier League on Saturday (watch live, 12:30pm ET on NBC and online via NBCSports.com) at Stamford Bridge.
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Graham Potter is unbeaten in seven games as Chelsea boss and the Blues are back to their best as they look solid defensively and have so many options in attack and midfield.
As for Manchester United, well, aside from another Cristiano Ronaldo strop things are looking decent under Erik ten Hag. After their midweek win against Tottenham they sit just one place and one point behind fourth-place Chelsea heading into this game.
Below we take a closer look at form, head-to-head info, projected lineups and a prediction for what promises to be a classic Chelsea vs Manchester United clash.
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Chelsea vs Manchester United recent Premier League form
Chelsea last five fixtures – DWWWD | Last game: 0-0 draw at Brentford
Manchester United last five fixtures – WDWLW | Last game: 2-0 win vs Tottenham
Who has more wins, Chelsea or Manchester United? (all competitions head-to-head)
Chelsea wins: 55
Manchester United wins: 81
Draws: 55
Projected lineups
Chelsea (3-4-2-1)
—– Kepa —–
—- Chalobah —- Silva —- Koulibaly —-
— Loftus-Cheek — Kovacic — Jorginho — Cucurella —-
—- Mount —- Sterling —-
—– Aubameyang —–
Given his incredible form, and run of five-straight shutouts, Kepa will start in goal again and Edouard Mendy will have to wait to start after his recent comeback from injury. In defense Thiago Silva is expected to start, while Trevoh Chalobah and Kalidou Koulibaly are likely to keep their places but Cesar Azpilicueta could slot in. Ruben Loftus-Cheek at right wing-back makes sense to stop Jadon Sancho, while Kovacic should come into midfield with Jorginho after Gallagher came off against Brentford. Up top, expect Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling to start just behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. That said, Potter could start Cucurella as a left-sided center back and Sterling could play as a hybrid left wing-back as his lineups are so flexible. Potter will likely want plenty of recovery speed in his defensive positions to stop United’s counter attacks.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1)
—– De Gea —–
— Dalot — Varane — Martinez — Shaw —
—– Casemiro —– Fred —–
—– Antony —- Fernandes —- Sancho —-
—– Rashford —–
At this point the United team pretty much picks itself. The back four is settled with Shaw perhaps being rested for Tyrell Malacia the only possible change. In midfield Scott McTominay could come in to give Fred a rest, while the front four has a great balance about it so expect that to stay the same. The old adage ‘if ain’t broken don’t fix it’ comes to mind with Erik ten Hag’s side right now. That said, after the intensity of games against Newcastle and Tottenham in four days and then heading to Chelsea for this one, let’s see how the energy levels are in this United squad.
Chelsea vs Manchester United prediction
This is going to be a tight, tense clash and there will be contrasting styles of play on show. I expect Chelsea to have plenty of the ball but they have to be patient and alert defensively to stop United’s quality on the break. I think the latter may be too much for Chelsea to handle, so I’m going for an away win. Chelsea 1-2 Manchester United.
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