Man Utd vs Chelsea Premier League Prediction 21/22

Chelsea bounced back from their 4-2 loss against Arsenal with a 1-0 win against West Ham Utd at Stamford Bridge last weekend. It was a relatively sloppy defensive performance from the blues, yet again, however, they were still the better side in comparison to an under-par performance from West Ham.

In contrast, Man Utd had yet another dismal display in defence in the Premier League, where they travelled to the Emirates. Ronaldo returned from his unfortunate personal circumstances and scored his 100th Premier League goal. Ronaldo and Sancho were probably the stand-out attackers who put in a shift along with Matic in midfield. Although, the defence (in the absence of Maguire) let them down again as they conceded 2 or more goals in 3 consecutive games.   

Man Utd vs Chelsea - Premier League Preview:

(Image was taken by Kirsty Wigglesworth AP, source - https://www.marca.com/en/football/premier-league/2022/04/27/6268fb6d22601d84128b45cc.html) 

Manchester Utd seemed to have lost their form in the most crucial part of their season, with the hopes of getting a top 4 spot getting slimmer with each matchday. They did travel to the Emirates short on confidence already from the hammering at Anfield, however, the return of Ronaldo into the starting XI did boost their chances. Without his goal contributions, they'd be 10 points above the relegation zone, so it's quite clear to see that problems for Man Utd start elsewhere. 

The attacking performance displayed at the emirates wasn't that poor, looking at Sancho and Ronaldo. Elanga in the first half made two dangerous runs but failed to finish his chances on both occasions. A missed penalty from Bruno Fernandes and 2 shots of the woodwork from Dalot showed some reaction to their loss at Liverpool. But, once again the defence was riddled with mistakes for the first two goals. Arsenal's third goal was a sublime shot from Xhaka, his speciality, although there was a hint of offside where Nkhetia seemed to obstruct De Gea's view of the shot in an offside position.

There were very questionable decisions from the referee against Man Utd throughout the game, most notably a blatant handball by Cedric not given despite the use of VAR. Although the referee's performance was questionable, this result was no more Man Utd and now a visit from 3rd placed Chelsea awaits.

Chelsea played a London derby, where West Ham Utd travelled to Stamford Bridge. The game was relatively low in quality, but Chelsea created better chances to score the winner. West Ham was in good form following their amazing performance against Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals and now face a brilliant and attacking Frankfurt, who bested Barcelona, in the semi-finals of the competition. However, it seemed as though David Moyes has prioritised the European competition as he rested the likes of Bowen, Rice and Antonio against Chelsea.

As mentioned, Chelsea's defence was poor yet again with mistakes giving West Ham opportunities to score but fortunately for them, they did not take the chances. Once again, Werner looked like the bright spark for Chelsea, sharp in his touches and movement with finishing the only thing lacking. He is a player, with confidence, and can be unplayable against most defences across Europe. But their goal came through Pulisic who was free on the edge of the box to slide home a finish in the 90th minute.

The match between Chelsea and Man Utd should provide goals and entertainment as both defences in recent weeks have been dire. A win for Utd could keep their slim chances of top-four alive, while for Chelsea it is about cementing their 3rd place position. 

Head 2 Head (h2h):

Predicted Lineups & Team News:

Manchester Utd XI: De Gea; Dalot, Lindelof, Varane, Telles; Matic, Mctominay, Fernandes; Rashford, Elanga, Ronaldo

It was confirmed that Maguire and Sancho were added to the injury list for Man Utd and will not be available for selection against Chelsea. Pogba, Cavani and Fred were already on the injured list and ruled out much earlier. Thus, Sancho's absence could provide Rashford with a start out on the wings this time, unlike at Liverpool where he played as a striker.

Although Rangnick has included the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Alvaro Fernandez, Hannibal Mejbri and Shola Shoretire in the roster for the match. It could be a possibility for Hannibal and Garnacho to get some valuable game time as they have been with the first-team squad for consecutive matches and with Utd's limited options on the bench. The Man Utd youngsters could be pivotal in the final few matches of the season. 

Bruno Fernandes, who I expected to be dropped, may not be due to the very weak depth in midfield Man Utd currently have as Lingard and Hannibal (who is inexperienced) as players who can play in that number 10 position. Lingard hasn't been in great form either since the early parts of the season so it is unlikely to see Bruno dropped despite his poor performances.

Chelsea XI: Mendy; Azpilecueta, Silva, Rudiger; James, Kante, Loftus-Cheek, Alonso; Werner, Mount, Havertz

Chelsea should have their full strength eleven for this match with probably only Christensen left on the bench as he has recovered from a minor injury, but in all fairness, he won't replace either of the 3 CBs Chelsea have. Chilwell, Hudson-Odoi and Kovacic are the injuries Chelsea have and won't be featuring in the clash with Man Utd.

Havertz and Werner will most likely be regulars until the end of the season as they both have been in fine form with the latter coming up with more goal contributions in recent matches. Loftus-Cheek will probably start over Jorginho as he has displayed great performances in recent consecutive matches for Chelsea and provides more of an attacking threat for Chelsea. Pulisic, despite his last-minute goal, will most probably start off the bench as it is hard to replace a player with the importance and ability of Mason Mount who has also been in decent form himself.

Lukaku may have a part to play off the bench, most likely in the latter stages of the match where his pace and power against tired legs could prove to be useful for Chelsea against Man Utd.

Ones to Watch:

Manchester Utd

Ronaldo's presence alone provides a threat to any opposition in the game. He is most likely to start after scoring his 100th Premier League goal last weekend against Arsenal. I expect Ronaldo to have at least 2 or more shots on target in this match. Once again, Sancho's absence could help restart Marcus Rashford's career at Man Utd as he is expected to replace the former Dortmund winger in the lineup. Rashford has been below par in all his appearances this season but is still a player capable of creating a decisive moment - I expect him to have at least 1 or 2 shots on target for Man Utd against Chelsea.

Mctominay in midfield is usually robust and clumsy in his tackling, thus I do expect him to receive a booking. Matic is also very likely to be carded due to his ageing legs not being able to keep up with Chelsea's attacking pace on the counter-attack. Bruno Fernandes, a player who wears his heart on his sleeves every match, I also expect him to be booked as he does tend to get emotional when things go against him.

De Gea will most likely be needed once again for Man Utd as his defence never provides him with any support in most matches. I expect De Gea to make vital saves for Man Utd yet again.

Chelsea

Werner is a player who has been playing in great form recently, with his sharpness and pace causing problems for opposition defenders. His finishing is still lacking but I expect him to have at least 1 shot on target in this match. Havertz with his touch and movement will also be key for Chelsea, but it will depend on the quality of the passes that he receives from any of his midfielders.

Rudiger is another player who can let emotion get the better of him, thus a booking for him could be likely up against the likes of Bruno and Ronaldo. Kante is an exceptional defensive midfielder but he can be subject to a mistimed tackle so it wouldn't be surprising to see him receive a card in this match. Otherwise, I do expect Man Utd to receive more cards than Chelsea.

Prediction:

Chelsea has been in decent form in recent matches, except for the small blip against Arsenal where defensive errors cost them the match and nearly did the same against West Ham. Man Utd is also subject to far more defensive errors than Chelsea so this game could be a display of these mistakes.

The earlier match at Stamford Bridge between Man Utd and Chelsea was mostly one-sided with Chelsea having possession and Man Utd playing on the counter. A similar pattern may be seen today as Man Utd don't have the quality to hold possession for large parts of matches. But they have pace and power upfront which is useful for counterattacking scenarios.

I expect this match to be well contested with Chelsea as clear favourites as Man Utd's recent record has been quite dismal. However, Chelsea does have the tendency to struggle against teams that are out of form. Therefore this game could be a much tighter affair than what people are expecting and could go either way as seen with Chelsea's history against struggling teams. 

(Published on 28/04/2022 at 17:00)