Chelsea vs Manchester United. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more

Chelsea FC will host Manchester United FC in the English Premier League 31st-round match at the Stamford Bridge Stadium. The fixture will take place on Saturday, April 11, beginning at 21:30 IST.

Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Chelsea News & Current Form: 

Three years ago, Chelsea was triumphant in the UEFA Champions League, while Manchester United reached the UEFA Europa League final. Now it seems like some kind of dream for both: neither is thinking about winning anymore.

Now sitting in only 12th place in the Premier League standings, Chelsea is having another disappointing campaign given the club’s ambitions and budget. The Londoners will most likely fail to finish in the European Cup zone, but the Blues have avoided defeat in the last 5 rounds (2 wins and 3 draws), having collected such a series for the first time this season. 

Cole Palmer scored a double in the match against Burnley, which eventually ended in a draw

After a 3:2 win over Newcastle United FC, Mauricio Pochettino’s men failed to beat a sinking Burnley FC side at home last weekend (2:2). Cole Palmer opened the scoring in the first half shortly after a strike from Lorenz Assignon, which, however, did not prevent Josh Cullen from restoring parity on the scoreboard two minutes after the break. The young English midfielder scored a double in the 78th minute, but Dara O’Shea equalized again three minutes later. 

After this frustrating loss of points, the media began to write about the dissatisfaction of a group of Chelsea players with the head coach of the team, and that Pochettino may lose his position at the end of the season. 

It is still difficult to determine what outcome of the campaign may allow the coach to strengthen his position in the eyes of the management, but a victory in a match with a top rival (and MU is still among them) will definitely be a good argument in the debate for the Argentine specialist.

In his defense, the current coach has changed the style of play of his team: the Aristocrats began to demonstrate a more cohesive attacking football. Now watching the game of Londoners is much more interesting and enjoyable, but the stability in the results is still missing. 

Mauricio Pochettino believes that the Blues just need more time to establish themselves. He cited the progress of Mykhailo Mudryk as an example. The Argentine noted that the player had to overcome a lot of difficulties to mature and improve. In his opinion, there are too many players in the team who, like the Ukrainian, once needed help. 

In February, Chelsea reached the final of the English Football League Cup, where they lost to Liverpool FC, and in the Emirates FA Cup before the international break passed Leicester City FC (4:2) and will meet Manchester City FC in the semifinals. 

Pochettino’s men have conceded 47 goals in 28 matches in the EPL. The indicators would be better, if not in the infirmary a good half of the Aristocrats’ leading defenders and several supporting midfielders.

This week the capital team will still be unable to count on the injured Reece James, Ben Chilwell,Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Chalobah, midfielders Romeo Lavia, Lesley Ugochukwu and Carney Chukwuemeka, winger Christopher Nkunku and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. 

Cole Palmer (13 goals and 8 assists) celebrated a double over the weekend and will definitely be in the starting lineup this time around. He leads the team, but the effort is often not enough. Sometimes the 21-year-old midfielder is let down by his execution, and the previously mentioned defensive problems occasionally undermine his efforts.

Ukrainian winger Mudryk (4 goals and 2 assists) has been in good form in recent weeks and will keep him company on the wing alongside Senegalese Nicolas Jackson (9 goals and 3 assists). Axel Disasi will replace the injured Malo Gusto, while Thiago Silva and Benoit Badiashile will operate at center back. 

Manchester United News & Current Form: 

Wards of Erik ten Hag are gradually saying goodbye to their Champions League dreams for the new season. Manchester United’s regular loss of points in the league has led them to 6th place and the gap to fourth-placed Aston Villa FC has already reached 11 points (albeit with one game to spare), and the Birmingham side are not the only team ahead of the Red Devils in the race for the UCL. They have to breathe down the neck of Tottenham Hotspur FC from the 5th place, who have played the same number of matches as the Mancunians and have 8 points more. 

Out of 4 matches in the EPL ten Hag’s wards won only one. And if the defeat from neighbors from City away (1:3) can still be understood and written off on the strength of the opponent, then the fiasco at Old Trafford with Fulham FC (1:2) and missed two points away with Brentford FC (1:1) – this is definitely not the results of the participant of the struggle for medals.

Substitute Mason Mount appeared to have scored the winning goal in the 96th minute, but the persistence of the Bees in the final third of the pitch – 31 shots on goal – eventually paid off and Kristoffer Ajer restored parity on the scoreboard in the 99th minute. 

Ten Hag said that he was not satisfied with the result, adding that even with such a terrible game, his team should have won. Interesting fact: the Mancunians go to the capital, having won only one of the last nine away games with London rivals and losing four of the last six.

In the FA Cup, MU defeated Liverpool before the international break (4:3 after extra time) and will face modest Coventry City FC in the semi-finals. There is little doubt that the Reds will play in the final of this prestigious tournament.

United have a similar situation to Chelsea: injuries have made life difficult for Erik ten Hag. The coach still has to release Harry Maguire, who previously lost his place in the starting lineup. To the defender’s credit, it is worth noting that he has improved and made fewer mistakes.

Despite the efforts of Andre Onana, the Devils have conceded 40 goals in 29 EPL meetings. And in six rounds of the Champions League group stage they conceded a record 15 goals for English clubs. 

Young star of Manchester United – Kobbie Mainoo, who even got called up for the English national team

One of the main discoveries of the season is Scott McTominay. In 45 matches for the club and the national team in all tournaments, the 27-year-old Scotsman recorded 16 goals and gave four assists, a large part of his goals were victorious.

Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund are also making individual progress. The young players have established themselves as future leaders of the club. They are not afraid to take on the game and try their best to benefit the team they play for.

The Red Devils are missing main goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, lateral Luke Shaw, while Anthony Martial, Tyrell Malacia and the experienced Jonny Evans are all injured. World champion Lisandro Martinez returned to the pitch on Saturday, but played just 22 minutes before suffering a serious re-injury and being sent to the infirmary to join his Swedish counterpart Victor Lindelöf. 

Chelsea form guide: L-W-D-W-W-D 

Manchester United form guide: L-W-L-W-W-D

Chelsea vs Manchester United Head-To-Head Record:

• October 2, 2022: Chelsea 1 – 1 Manchester United (Premier League);
• May 25, 2023: Manchester United 4 – 1 Chelsea (Premier League);
• December 6, 2023: Manchester United 2 – 1 Chelsea (Premier League).

Chelsea vs Manchester United Predicted XI:

Chelsea’s possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Disasi, Silva, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson.

Manchester United’s possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Wan-Bissaka; Mainoo, McTominay; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund.

Statistical preview of the match Chelsea vs Manchester United:

• Chelsea’s First XI average age is 24.4 years, MU’s First XI average age is 26.2 years.
• The total value of Chelsea’s squad is 928 mln euros, while the total of the Red Devils comes up to 734 mln euros.
• Jarred Gillett has been appointed as the center referee. The match official has already served 21 games this season, showing an average of 4.6 Yellow Cards and also whistling 21 fouls per game. 
• More than three goals have been scored in five previous matches of Chelsea. 
• Nine of Manchester United’s last 12 matches have seen an exchange of goals.
• The hosts have not lost in regular time for nine matches, taking into account different tournaments and competitions.
• According to the xG rating, Chelsea have an average of 1.96 expected goals per game, while United have an average of 1.51.
• The Blues possess the ball on average 57.04% of match play time, while the Reds possess the ball 48.48%.
• Players of Chelsea are caught offside an average of 2.45 times per game, while the Devils are offside an average of 2.6 times per game.
• Chelsea on average make 13.95 shots on goal per game, while Manchester United average 13.45.
• Pochettino’s boys hit the target an average of 5.65 times per game, while Manchester United hit it 4.85 times per game.
• Chelsea are serving an average of 5.1 corners per game, while United are serving 5.85. 
• Chelsea receive an average of 2.85 yellow cards per game, while Manchester United receive an average of 2.35.

What has been said before the match:

Mauricio Pochettino, coach of the Blues, about behaving more like Chelsea:

“We are Chelsea but we need to behave like Chelsea. If we want to belong to a big club it’s not an excuse to be a young or inexperienced player. At the end of the day we need to perform.”

“We talk about young players’ potential to be amazing players, but they need to realize that they need to improve so quickly. There’s no time to improve in one or two years, because the level is so high, in the Premier League and at this club.”

“Today and yesterday we were working a lot in trying to provide the tools to the team to be strong and not concede goals in the way that we concede. That is the only way that I know to improve it. We were talking and showing videos with different players involved in the situation.”

“But always it’s about finding the right balance and until we get this balance we need to pay more attention in every situation to try to avoid problems. We are creating many chances but in the second part of the season we are conceding more.”

“Tomorrow against Manchester United we need to play better. We need to show more energy, show that we can compete more like a team.”

Gaffer of the Red Devils Erik ten Hag ahead of meeting with Chelsea:

“I have been in football long enough to know, and what some of you should also understand, is that such things happen. Sometimes, you are not playing well but we are Man United and you still have to win. When you are winning, you can’t give it away in the way we did, that is the biggest disappointment for me. We also have to see the trend line over a long period and I would say, from Christmas on it has been positive. We keep going.”

“It is a tough competition and it is very tight. Also it comes down to which players are available and which players are not. When you are on the right side of the line, you can have a successful season, but in this competition where it is so competitive, it can also be a time where you are on the wrong side.”

Chelsea vs Manchester United Prediction:

Both teams are experiencing a plethora of issues as the season progresses, but the most glaring is their lacklustre play without the ball. Manchester United’s last away game in the EPL in the league was a pale one, with the goals coming only in added time (1:1). And Brentford were closer to victory: the Bees managed to make 31 shots, creating 3.11 xG, with the Red Devils often having a lot of luck not to concede. And it’s not a fluke, MU is one of the worst in the English Premier League in terms of containing opponents from creating chances, with 50.7 xGA in 29 matches played being especially illustrious. Looking at the Mancunians’ attacking metrics, only 11 shots on goal with 0.51 created xG, the verdict on the match is apparent: poor performance on both ends. 

Chelsea, on the other hand, also have nothing to boast about looking back at the previous weekend. Having played against 10 men without Vincent Kompany on the touchline from the 40th minute the hosts were unable to dominate the game, also losing their lead at the end of the match. Burnley were feeling free at Stamford Bridge and managed to take 17 shots. The result was 2:2, but the Aristocrats could well have lost to a team struggling for survival.

The statistics of face-to-face confrontations in the Premier League speak in favour of the Red Devils – the club has not lost to Chelsea in 12 consecutive matches (5 wins and 7 draws). In five previous personal meetings at Stamford Bridge in the EPL, four times there was a draw, and in one more game Manchester United was stronger. 

In general, the Mancunians’ away form cannot be called poor: 23 points in 15 meetings (6th in the league). In this calendar year, Erik ten Hag’s wards have played 8 matches on the road in all tournaments, losing only to the unstoppable neighbours from Manchester, while they also managed to beat 4th-placed Aston Villa. Over this distance, the Red Devils have scored 2.1 per match, conceding 1.3. 

The Londoners have played ten matches on their field in 2024 in all tournaments, in which they have lost only 2 times. At the same time during this stretch, the team has not beaten anyone from the top 7, and the last time Chelsea beat a top Premier League club in their home walls was more than two years ago. In general, the Blues play at Stamford Bridge productively, but concede an obscene amount: in the last five meetings, the Blues have allowed an average of 1.8 goals per game, while having scored 2.4.

The principality of the meeting, the degree of emotion and the status of the opponent will encourage the players to play with a high sense of determination, in a desire to demonstrate all their advantages. We expect that the teams with problematic defence and comparatively good attack will be able to find a net of each other’s goals at least once. At the same time, unlike the Aristocrats, the Mancunians are still motivated in the championship, being only 6 points away from the top-4. We expect that the Red Devils will be able to tune up for the match properly and will be closer to victory.

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Both teams will score and Manchester United will not lose – Yes.