As the 2022-23 Premier League season rumbles towards the World Cup-enforced winter break, it’s a hugely important time for teams to pick up points to set themselves up nicely for the league’s return after Christmas.
For Chelsea and Manchester United, the run-up to the World Cup feels especially important. It’s been a strange sort of season so far for the two sides. Both suffered fairly disappointing starts to the campaign, which in the case of Chelsea led to the dismissal of head coach Thomas Tuchel, but both teams have steadied the ship somewhat in the weeks since.
The goal for both is to earn a spot in the top four and secure Champions League football for next season, and so the meeting between the two sides at Stamford Bridge this weekend is vitally important.
Fans are eagerly examining the Chelsea v Man Utd betting ahead of this match-up, so let’s look at a few takeaways from recent meetings between the two teams in the Premier League.
United holding the edge
You have to go back nearly five years for the last time Chelsea defeated Manchester United in the Premier League, which just goes to show how the team from the north west has dominated the fixture in the last few years. It’s somewhat surprising that United have held the upper hand given their struggles and inconsistencies of late, but for whatever reason Chelsea just haven’t been able to crack the code.
That said, the last four Premier League meetings have all ended in low-scoring draws, so the trend is that recent meetings between the two teams yield close-fought tussles. With both sides boasting new managers in Graham Potter and Erik ten Hag respectively, it’ll be interesting to see if that trend continues when the teams meet at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The last time United defeated Chelsea in the Premier League was in the 2019-20 season, when Frank Lampard’s Blues were conceding goals like it was going out of fashion. A 4-0 win at Old Trafford and a 2-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge represented easy work for United, and they’ll be hoping for something similar this weekend.
Even last season, when United were in a rut under Ole Gunnar Solskjær and then Ralf Rangnick, Chelsea still couldn’t turn the screw. It’s important to note, however, that Potter has won his last two matches against United when in charge of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Antony to star?
One positive for Ten Hag this season has been the form of Antony since joining from Ajax at the tail end of the summer transfer. The Brazilian has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, and has already notched three Premier League goals in four appearances. Chelsea will need to be wary of his threat if they are to finally get a win against the Red Devils.
Antony’s arrival has given United a breath of fresh air in attack, with their front line much more mobile without Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch. However, the Portuguese superstar will be a dangerous weapon from the bench if he is not reintroduced to the starting line-up, and Chelsea will need to be on guard against United’s varying attacking threats.
