Chelsea v Manchester United: Close encounter on cards in Bridge battle
Published:
Preview, odds and Chelsea v Man Utd v Chelsea betting tips
Chelsea host Manchester United in a fascinating top-four battle on Saturday night which has been given added intrigue by the latest Cristiano Ronaldo saga.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner will take no part in the game after refusing to go on as a substitute during United’s impressive victory over Tottenham on Wednesday night.
The Blues start as 11/10 favourites to win the game, so let’s look at the main talking points to help with our Chelsea v Man Utd betting tips.
Chelsea v Manchester United form
The Red Devils produced their finest performance under Erik ten Hag during the week as a deflected effort from Fred and brilliant curling effort by Bruno Fernandes wrapped up a 2-0 win to keep United in fifth spot and reduce the gap on fourth-placed Chelsea to just one point.
The scoreline could have been even more emphatic as Antony struck the post and keeper Hugo Lloris produced a string of outstanding saves to deny United, who had 28 shots, 10 of which were on target.
The win at Old Trafford came three days after a frustrating goalless draw with Newcastle, but they have won six of their last eight Premier League games, with their only defeat coming at local rivals City where hat-tricks from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden sealed a 6-3 victory.
🔊 "When you play top [level] football, sometimes there [are] rumours and noise, but you can't get deflected," Erik adds.
"You have to focus on the job and that is to perform tomorrow." 💪#MUFC || #CHEMUN
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 21, 2022
The visitors are 12/5 to win on Saturday or at bigger odds can be backed at 21/5 to win by a one-goal margin as they have done in three of their previous four away games.
Chelsea remain unbeaten under manager Graham Potter, but Wednesday’s goalless draw at west London rivals Brentford was a case of points dropped rather than one gained.
The former Brighton boss left Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench until the final nine minutes, but the ex-Arsenal striker had little time to make an impact.
'In front of our fans, a big game.'
Kepa looks ahead to #CheMun. 👊 pic.twitter.com/OCsocAJcbu
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 21, 2022
Potter also had keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to thank for ensuring the Blues went into the break all square after tipping over Ivan Toney’s header and making a point-blank save from Bryan Mbeumo.
All seven matches under Potter have involved three goals or fewer, so they are 19/10 to win that way against a United team that are yet to lose the second half this season.
The Red Devils have a W5 D5 record, so look an interesting prospect at 13/5 to win the second 45 minutes or we go 11/8 in the draw no bet market. Alternatively, Ten Hag’s side are 17/10 to be the first team to score after the break.
However, the Blues have now kept five successive clean sheets – including home and away victories against AC Milan in the Champions League – and they are 19/10 to extend that run to six, while United are 10/3 in the same market to shut out the opposition for a fourth game in a row in all competitions.
Chelsea v Manchester United head to head
The top-four rivals are separated by a point in the table and meetings between these teams in the last two seasons could not have been any closer, with all four matches ending all square.
🗣️ "[Erik] wants more intensity, more aggression."
🏴 We caught up with @LukeShaw23 in the latest episode of United Daily ⬇️#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 20, 2022
Both games ended 1-1 last season and were goalless in the previous campaign, so a draw catches the eye at 12/5, while a share of the spoils and under 2.5 goals also appeals at 17/5 in our Chelsea v Man Utd betting tips.
In the correct score market, a 1-1 draw is priced at 11/2, while a goalless encounter looks interesting at 10/1. Both teams have been involved in goalless draws in the last seven days.
Chelsea v Man Utd team news
The big news is that Ronaldo has been dropped because of his behaviour during the week and with Anthony Martial still out with a back problem, Marcus Rashford should lead the line once again.
Midfielder Christain Eriksen came on as a late substitute having missed the Newcastle game through illness, so could be fit to start, but the performances of Fred and Casemiro against Tottenham mean he may have to settle for a place on the bench.
View this post on Instagram
That said, the energy United put into that game means Ten Hag may decide to freshen things up.
Chelsea duo Thiago Silva and Hakim Ziyech were both fit enough to make the bench on Wednesday, but Reece James, N’Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana are all long-term absentees.
Conor Gallagher came off with an illness-related problem at Brentford and was replaced by Mateo Kovacic, who could start on Saturday.
Goalscorer odds
Aubameyang is a certain starter for the Blues and is 4/1 to break the deadlock or 6/4 to find the net any time having scored in three of his last five appearances.
Armando Broja started Wednesday’s game and is 9/2 and 7/4 in the two markets, although he is likely to return to the bench.
Out on the grass! 🔵 pic.twitter.com/xbhEt77ESs
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 20, 2022
Raheem Sterling is 5/1 and 12/5, while Mason Mount, who scored both goals in a 2-0 win at Aston Villa, is 15/2 and 14/5.
Jorginho scored from the penalty spot in last season’s fixture and is 11/1 and 4/1 in our Chelsea v Man Utd betting tips.
For United, Rashford heads the betting at 11/2 to draw first blood and is 9/4 to score any time, while the resurgent Fernandes is 8/1 and 14/5.
Antony struck the post during the week and is 15/2 and 14/5, while Jadon Sancho is 10/1 to open the scoring as he did at Stamford Bridge last season.
Match Info
Where: Stamford Bridge
When: 16.30, Saturday 22nd October
How to watch: Sky Sports
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
