Chelsea vs Manchester United: Betting Odds & Prediction
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Chelsea host Manchester United on Thursday evening with both sides enduring disappointing campaigns thus far.
Both clubs desperately need three points to alleviate pressure off of managers Mauricio Pochettino and Erik Ten Hag respectively. Kick off is set for 8pm on Thursday night.
Recent Form
Chelsea
To say Chelsea’s season has been a disaster would be a colossal understatement. Blues boss Pochettino saw the pressure on his job intensify once again as his side failed to see off 10-man Burnley last time out.
Although that 2-2 draw against the Clarets did extend their unbeaten run in the league to five games, Chelsea languish in the bottom half of the table, having won only eleven games this season.
The Blues underperformed on expected goals in Saturday’s draw, creating 3.33 expected goals from 33 shots, continuing an unwanted trend this season of underperformance in front of goal, producing just 49 goals from 54.9 expected goals all season.
Cole Palmer, however, has been the main ray of sunshine in this troubled season at Stamford Bridge. The former City man’s double on Saturday saw him become the first Chelsea player since Eden Hazard in 2014 to score in five consecutive Premier League home games.
Palmer also became just the fifth player in Chelsea’s history to get 20 goal involvements in his first Premier League season with the Blues and will be Chelsea’s main threat like he was in the reverse fixture, where he scored Chelsea’s equaliser in a 2-1 defeat.
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Manchester United
United’s season has been similarly underwhelming, with Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Brentford further exposing Ten Hag’s side’s deficiencies that have plagued them since August. The Red Devils conceded 31 shots against the Bees, making it 106 shots conceded in their last four games, accumulating a staggering 8.95 expected goals against in those four fixtures.
To make the situation even more damning, Saturday’s draw made it the sixth time in their last seven league games that Ten Hag’s side has conceded 20 or more shots in 90 minutes, while making it the eleventh time this season that has happened, with only Sheffield United doing it more with 12.
United have also faced the most shots in the entire division since February 1st with 181, 15 more than Luton Town in second, with goalkeeper Andre Onana being kept busy to keep the Red Devils in the European race.
Prediction
United come into the fixture eight points ahead of Chelsea having played a game more, but their away record has been far from convincing; Ten Hag's side have averaged only 1.53 points in away fixtures this season. The Dutchman has also failed to register an away victory in nine matches against the traditional 'big six', while Chelsea have already taken points from Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this year.
Despite their disappointing draw with Burnley at the weekend, we back the home side to earn the three points in this one.