Chelsea vs Manchester United preview, prediction, team news and head-to-head

• Over 2.5 goals

• Both teams to score

• Match to end in a draw

Chelsea are in the midst of a dismal run.

Liam Rosenior’s tenure as Chelsea boss started brightly, winning his first four Premier League games. However, the tide has since turned, with the Blues winning just one in their last seven top-flight fixtures (D2 L4) – only Tottenham have collected fewer points in that time (one).

Chelsea’s Champions League qualification hopes were dealt another blow after last weekend’s bruising 3-0 home defeat to title-chasing Man City. They sit sixth in the table, closer to 11th-placed Bournemouth (three-point gap) than to Liverpool in fifth spot (four-point gap), with six games remaining.

Across all competitions, no team in Europe’s top-five leagues has lost more games than Chelsea (six in nine) since the beginning of March. To put that in perspective, it took 29 matches for them to suffer their previous six losses (W15 D8 L6).

Liam Rosenior’s side are quickly losing credit with supporters, who will protest the club’s ownership outside Stamford Bridge pre-match, and he can ill afford to miss out on a Champions League berth as he plans for next campaign. 

Manchester United, for their part, suffered their first home defeat under Michael Carrick, losing 2-1 to relegation-threatened Leeds despite a 24-day break from competitive action. It was Leeds’ first top-flight triumph at Old Trafford in 45 years.

Still sitting third in the Premier League table and level on points with Aston Villa in fourth, Manchester United know that defeat at Stamford Bridge this weekend would leave them four points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea and just three in front of fifth-placed Liverpool with five games left to play.

Chelsea can at least take comfort from their dominant home record against Man United, having lost just one of their last 12 Premier League encounters at Stamford Bridge (W6 D5). 

They head into Saturday’s clash seeking to secure three consecutive home league wins over the Red Devils for the first time since April 2006.

Following their 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford in September, the Red Devils are looking to complete the top-flight double over the Blues for just the second time after the 2019-20 season.

Chelsea Premier League form: 🟧🟥🟩🟥🟥🟥

Chelsea form (all competitions): 🟥🟥🟥🟥🟩🟥

Manchester United Premier League form: 🟩🟩🟥🟩🟧🟥

Levi Colwill (ACL) and Trevoh Chalobah (ankle) are both back in Chelsea training as they continue their recoveries. Elsewhere, Reece James remains sidelined along with Jamie Gittens and Filip Jorgensen.

After serving a two-game club suspension for comments made over his Chelsea future, Enzo Fernandez is available to return this weekend. The midfielder has created more chances from open play (46) and more chances overall (51) than any other Chelsea player this season, and he has also completed the most passes in the final third (459).

United’s injury load is remarkably light. Kobbie Mainoo should return to the side after he missed the Leeds match with a knock, while Matthijs de Ligt remains sidelined with the same mysterious lower back injury that has kept him out since November.

Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez will both miss the match through suspension, but Patrick Dorgu is close to returning from his hamstring injury.

Chelsea: Sánchez; Gusto, Fofana, Hato, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Palmer, Fernández, Estevão; Pedro

Manchester United: Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Heaven, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Diallo, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo

With Chelsea and Man United coming off disappointing defeats, there is no margin for error in the race for a top-five finish. This should set the stage for an entertaining, end-to-end contest in West London, where claiming maximum points would significantly boost their respective causes.

However, this fixture has been drawn more often than any other in Premier League history (27), and considering there is little to separate these two teams, the spoils could well be shared once again. 

With Man United pair Martinez and Maguire both suspended, and Chelsea’s backline struggling for consistency, a high-scoring stalemate seems more likely than a cagey tactical battle.

Correct score prediction: Chelsea 2-2 Manchester United