Manchester United vs Chelsea Betting Preview

Date & Time: Monday, December 28, 5.30 PM GMT

Venue: Old Trafford (Manchester)

Head to head record

Chelsea vs Man Utd 1-0 (2014/2015 Premier League)
Man Utd vs Chelsea 1-1 (2014/2015 Premier League)
Chelsea vs Man Utd 3-1 (2013/2014 Premier League)
Man Utd vs Chelsea 0-0 (2013/2014 Premier League)
Man Utd vs Chelsea 0-1 (2012/2013 Premier League)

Manchester United vs Chelsea prediction

Manchester United succumbed to fourth successive defeat on Boxing Day, and under-fire manager Louis van Gaal is well aware that a poor performance in the Premier League clash with Chelsea could seal his fate. The Blues remained on the brink of the relegation zone after the 2-2 draw against Watford, but they still head into the high-profile clash in better spirits than the opposition.

End of the road for Louis van Gaal?

Even if Manchester United’s results in the opening exchanges were even better than expected, everybody could see that their performances were simply not good enough and it was only a matter of time before their descend in the Premier League standings was about to start. And while the Red Devils also experienced some problems during October, they suffered a huge dip in form a month later and are now going through a very rough patch. Manchester United were not only eliminated from the UEFA Champions League during this dismal run, but also suffered three straight defeats in the league to slip to sixth in the overall standings. With fourth-placed Tottenham just three points above them, there is still plenty of time for the Red Devils to save their season, but the biggest problem is that the players appear to have lost faith in Louis van Gaal’s methods and clearly let him hang out to dry. The manager himself admitted that his spell at Old Trafford might soon come to an end, and I don’t see how they are going to show any improvement in Monday’s clash against Chelsea.

The Dutch coach should welcome back captain Wayne Rooney to the side, while Bastian Schweinsteiger returns from a three-match ban. Morgan Schneiderlin could be recalled to the starting line-up, but Jesse Lingard, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia remain sidelined.

Champions League hopes still alive

The mere fact that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich decided to risk the wrath of the fans by sacking Stamford Bridge favourite Jose Mourinho is enough to suggest that the Blues have been utterly disappointing this season and that the change was desperately needed. Guus Hiddink was once again asked to put out the fire and he does appear to be the perfect man for the job. Chelsea returned to winning ways immediately after The Special One was sacked, defeating Sunderland 3-1, before they missed the chance to give the Dutch manager a perfect present as they could only muster a 2-2 draw with red-hot Watford. Nevertheless, there were plenty of positives to draw from that performance, with Diego Costa scoring the first brace since January and his teammates looking lively throughout. Oscar even managed to miss the penalty that would have made it 3-2, but Chelsea can still head to Old Trafford in great spirits, and they definitely look a good bet to place the final nail in the coffin of Louis van Gaal.

Eden Hazard is almost certain to return to the starting line-up, while Kurt Zouma and Ramires are also pushing for inclusion. Diego Costa misses out through suspension.

Interesting Facts

• Man Utd are winless in last eight matches vs Chelsea (D3 L5)
• The Red Devils suffered four straight defeats on all fronts
• Man Utd conceded at least two goals in each of last four fixtures
• Chelsea kept two clean sheets in last three away matches
• The Blues are averaging two goals per game in last four fixtures

Manchester United vs Chelsea betting pick

Manchester United do not look like they can reverse the trend under Louis van Gaal and everything suggests a fifth straight defeat is on the cards. Chelsea, on the other hand, have shown a great deal of improvement of late and I can see them extend the good run in previous meetings with the Red Devils.

Pick: Chelsea Draw no bet

Odds: 21/20