Manchester United escaped with one point against West Bromwich Albion on Monday. Doing so again on the coming Sunday will be much more difficult as they welcome the Premier League-leading Chelsea to Old Trafford. Will United be able to iron out their creases ahead of the match? Or will Chelsea once again rain goals against their competition?
[sc:Soccer240banner ]One of the early contenders for the Premier League title, Manchester United have had a rough eight games. United have only taken 12 points from a possible 24 and are already 10 points behind the league leaders Chelsea. The Red Devils will need a strong showing in this match to cut the lead down to single digits.
Betting on Manchester United
Daley Blind stole a point for the Red Devils in an away game against West Brom as United failed to come out with a win Monday. Juan Mata failed to impress at midfield as he misfired both of his shots. Meanwhile, the defense was underwhelming despite the return of center back Phil Jones. Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw lacked chemistry at the left wing, exposing a vulnerability that opponents can exploit.
Nevertheless, United can breathe a sigh of relief as the visiting Chelsea will very likely be without leading goal scorer Diego Costa. They’ll only have to contend with a slow and aging Didier Drogba, who has exclusively appeared as a sub throughout the season.
Up front, the Red Devils will miss captain Wayne Rooney as he serves the final game of his three-match suspension. Starting at forward is Robin Van Persie, who lacked sharpness against West Brom. Van Persie only had one shot on goal in the match, and missed a potential equalizer as he hit the post.
Meanwhile, midfielder Angel di Maria is in superb form. He assisted on Marouane Fellaini’s equalizer to start the second half (his fourth assist of the season). However, di Maria exited the match with a possible injury, leaving a hole in United’s midfield.
Manchester United have kept only two clean sheets the whole season, a scoreless draw against Burnley and a 4-0 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers (the two worst teams in the league).
Betting on Chelsea
Chelsea have shown that they can be devastating even when playing away from home. They have scored 12 goals in their four away games in the Premier League. However, their defensive holes have also been exploited as they conceded six goals in those matches.
The Blues’ quality will be put to the test at Old Trafford when they miss leading goal scorer Diego Costa for the second-straight Premier League match. Meanwhile, Loic Remy, who started in Costa’s place in the Champions League game against Maribor, is out with a groin injury.
Chelsea are now left with the 36-year old Didier Drogba up front, and he didn’t inspire too much confidence playing in Remy’s place against Maribor as he was easily exacerbated when he missed opportunities. In the Premier League, Drogba has only played for 27 minutes in six appearances as a substitute.
Nevertheless, midfielder Eden Hazard can be devastating on the wings. He has two goals and an assist in the Premier League thus far. Hazard seems to be in good form after scoring a brace in the Champions League game against Maribor. With Costa out and having only Drogba up front, expect Hazard to figure more in the attack.
The Blues won’t also be short on capable playmakers when they head to Old Trafford. Cesc Fabregas has shown exceptional away form, figuring in four goals (one goal and three assists in four games). Meanwhile, Oscar has also shown his talent with two goals and two assists over six matches in the Premier League.
Chelsea have scored two goals or more in seven of their eight Premier League games.
Writer’s Prediction
Chelsea thrash Manchester United for the full three points. Create a betting account now and cash in on all the best soccer action in the world.
