Manchester United and Chelsea meet at Old Trafford for a mouthwatering Premier League showdown on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Devils finally relieved Erik ten Hag of his duties following last week’s 2-1 defeat away at West Ham.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has been placed in interim charge, though it has now been confirmed that Ruben Amorim will take the reins on 11 November.
Dutch legend van Nistelrooy steered United to a 5-2 win over Leicester in midweek and the hosts will look to build on that result by getting the better of Chelsea on Sunday.
The Blues returned to winning ways in the Premier League last weekend with a 2-1 win over Newcastle, in a game that brought up two of my Stamford Bridge bets.
However, the Magpies did exact some revenge on Enzo Maresca’s men courtesy of a 2-0 win in the EFL Cup in midweek.
How the bookies view it: Duo difficult to separate
The bookmakers are struggling to separate the two teams, with the pair both priced up at 29/20 on Betano. As for the draw, that outcome has been chalked up at 29/10 with the same bookmaker.
Head to head: History favours the hosts
Chelsea have come away empty handed from each of their last two visits to this venue. In fact, the Blues have failed to triumph at Old Trafford since the tail end of the 2012-13 Premier League season.
Players to watch: Palmer to put on a show?
I successfully backed Cole Palmer to earn two or more fouls against Newcastle last weekend and I’m more than happy to side with the same selection on Sunday at even-money (1/1) on PaddyPower. The Chelsea talisman has been fouled twice or more in five of his last six Premier League appearances.
Bruno Fernandes bagged a brace in Man United’s 5-2 win over Leicester on Wednesday night. The Red Devils captain is 5/2 on Bet 365 to make the net bulge against the Blues on Sunday.
Predicted line-ups
As always, Manchester United’s treatment room is pretty busy at the moment, with Antony, Harry Maguire, Kobbie Maino, Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Tyrell Malacia all ruled out with injury.
Blues boss Maresca will be unable to call upon the services of Jadon Sancho, who is prohibited from featuring against his parent club.
Manchester United: Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Ugarte; Rashford, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Fofana, Colwill, Gusto; Caicedo, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
Anything else catch the eye?
Casemiro regularly sees danger and puts out fires, and he also won’t hesitate to take one for the team if necessary.
Thus, the tough-tackling Brazilian merits support to commit a minimum of two fouls on Sunday afternoon at 11/10 on PaddyPower.
Casemiro committed exactly two fouls during Man United's 2-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League a fortnight ago, and there is plenty of scope for a repeat this weekend against a top-heavy Chelsea team.
The United midfield schemer will likely be assigned a shackling job on the aforementioned Cole Palmer, who regularly finds himself on the receiving end of some rough treatment from Chelsea’s top-flight challengers.
This English Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea will be played on Nov 3, 2024 and kick off at 16:30. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester United vs Chelsea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
