MU vs Chelsea: Death battle amidst a siege
With their own difficulties and problems, MU and Chelsea both do not want to accept defeat in a match that will affect their place in the Champions League next season.
With a 3-point gap on the rankings, the match between the Red Devils and the Blues is extremely important in the race for the top 4. MU's position is under threat, as Liverpool has overtaken them, and Chelsea only need to win at Old Trafford to take over the third place.
Correlation of forces
David Luiz, Ross Barkley and Tiemoue Bakayoko are all sidelined through injury, with Morata set to start for the first time in a month as he looks fully fit.
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| Conte will battle wits with Mourinho. |
On the home side, Mourinho will welcome back center-back Eric Bailly. Meanwhile, Ander Herrera will be out for a few weeks with a thigh problem. Fellaini, Blind, Ibrahimovic and Phil Jones continue to be absent.
Form
After two heavy defeats to Watford and Bournemouth earlier this month, Conte's position was in serious jeopardy. At the same time, two victories against West Brom and Hull brought optimism to the London team.
Last midweek, Chelsea made a strong impression when they drew 1-1 with Barcelona. Conte and his students confidently traveled to Manchester, preparing to face both the Red Devils and Man "Blue" in two consecutive weeks.
Similar to their opponents, MU have just experienced a series of inconsistent matches, winning the FA Cup ticket, drawing goalless at Sevilla but surprisingly losing 0-1 to Newcastle.
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| The confrontation is expected to be very tense. |
Mourinho's team is 16 points behind Man City and their most realistic goal right now is to secure second place in the rankings, facing fierce pursuit from Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Head-to-head record
In terms of head-to-head, MU has won 13 more matches than Chelsea. However, the London team has had more impressive results against the Red Devils since the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Chelsea have won three of their last four meetings with MU. In addition, the Manchester team have also failed to score in four of their last six meetings.
Predictions and odds
This is a match where both teams cannot afford to lose. Therefore, the match is expected to be very tight and tactical. A draw would be a reasonable result at this point.
Odds: MU handicap equal (0: 1/4)
Over/Under: 2 1/4
Prediction: Draw 1-1
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| Expected lineup |
