Chelsea Vs Manchester United Betting – Sunday 8th November

 

Chelsea V Manchester United

 

Sunday 8^th November – 16:00 GMT

 

Sky Sports 1 & HD

 

 

 

Chelsea

 

League Position: 1st

Recent League Form: LWLWW

 

With the Champions League now out of the way until after Christmas, qualification anyway, Carlo Ancelotti can now concentrate of the league starting with an intriguing home tie with second placed, Manchester United. Chelsea will have home advantage on their side, which is a big plus, while their form heading into this eagerly awaited contest isn’t too bad, either, so there is no excuse were Chelsea not to win on Saturday.

  

The pressure will be on Carlo Ancelotti to land the win over United that their fans crave after they failed to get the better of United in the two league contests last season. However, Chelsea do boast a very strong record over United at Stamford Bridge as they remain unbeaten in all competitions against the Red Devils in ten meetings at the Bridge, although, just four of those were wins for the home side. With a new manager at the helm their could be a change in the winds as the former AC Milan manager ploys his next master plan against the side breathing down their necks.

  

Chelsea have been extremely impressive at Stamford Bridge this season, in fact, they’ve been close to unbeatable there for years now. So far, Chelsea have won all five league games at home, victories over Hull City (2-1), Burnley (3-0), Tottenham (3-0), Liverpool (2-0) & Blackburn (5-0). Some of their results have been very impressive, indeed, with the wins over Tottenham & Liverpool the stand out victories. However, it’s been their impenetrable defence that has caught our eye the most, with Chelsea conceding just one goal at home all season. Surprisingly, Hull City are the only team to score at The Bridge this season but some very talented teams have gone their and failed miserably so the gauntlet has been set for the travelling United team.

  

Chelsea, along with Arsenal, are the side to catch right now. They’ve lost just two games in eleven outings, both were away from home. Their goal tally at home stands at an outstanding 15-1, with the Blues averaging 3 goals-a-game at home, and they boast two of the leagues deadliest strikers at current in Didier Drogba (9 League Goals) & Nicolas Anelka (3 League Goals). The former looks unplayable at the moment and it will be interesting to see how a lax United defence copes with the Ivorian’s pace and strength.

 

 

 

 

Manchester United

 

League Position: 2nd

Recent League Form: WDWLW

 

In a normal season, United would go close to favouritism here despite this being an away encounter. However, in our eyes anyway, Chelsea are the comfortable favourites to notch up yet another win at home as United’s early performances, both in Europe and in the league have been well below par. However, United are renowned for their ability come good in the big games and that is why Chelsea are still available at such a handsome price. 

 

The Red Devils are back to their old tricks again, like the devils they are, winning games without playing the slightest bit good. They’ve won eight out of eleven thus far, although, United were well below their best in about half of those wins, especially the ones over Arsenal & Man City. However, those results over the teams we just mentioned just highlighted how easily United can turn on the class when required against the big boys. Although, on the same token, they didn’t perform at Anfield two weeks ago and, when you consider that their victories over both Arsenal & Man City were at Old Trafford, United do look a tad vulnerable heading down to London.

  

United’s away record this season stands at 3-0-2, with a draw nowhere to be seen. However, a draw would be a good result for them as they’ve never fared too well at Stamford Bridge in recent visits. Their ‘mediocre’ performances of late would also indicate that Sir Alex would probably settle for a point but his intentions were clear on Tuesday when he put out a makeshift side against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, one that performed extremely poor on the night and were mighty fortunate not to have lost.

  

Manchester United really are a side you love to hate. When others play bad they generally end up losing. That’s not the case with United and it will be typical for them to put in another big shift at the Bridge on Sunday. Wayne Rooney & Dimitar Berbatov is Fergie’s first choice striking partnership but neither have hit the ground running in all fairness. Rooney does actually have seven goals to his name but he’s hardly been in glistening form, while Berbatov has only started to show glimpses of form recently. However, for United to get anything out of this trip to Chelsea, they will need their front two on top of their game and, for our liking, they just aren’t consistent enough as a duet.

 

 

 

 

Head-to-Head:

 

Chelsea W: 4 Manchester United W: 3 Draws: 3

 

 

Chelsea just edge the head-to-head counter between the two giants of English football but Chelsea do boast a far superior record over United then it may seem at first glance. At Stamford Bridge, the home of the Blues, Chelsea haven’t lost in seven encounters with the Red Devils, with four of those coming by wins for Chelsea. The pair did play out a tight and nervy 1-1 draw last season but United thumped Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford in the reverse meeting. We’re sure the Chelsea players that started that day will be eager to make amends for that poor showing at Old Trafford and provide United with a humbling of their own.

  

We wouldn’t want to be on the goals in this clash, even if PaddyPower did stop being stingy and handed us a freebie. Four of the previous six encounters at the Bridge have ended in low scoring games and two of the last three have both ended in the same fate, both finishing in a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

 

 

 

Key Player(s):

 

Van Der Sar – The former Dutch shot-stopper has bags of big match experience but he has only just returned to the United fray after a hand injury and he was found wanting on Tuesday night when United drew 3-3 with an average CSKA Moscow. Der Saar was at fault for two of United’s goal, with his indecisive decision making the main reason for his poor showing but he also shown signs that he was very uncomfortable in front of what has been a patchy United back four. Rio Ferdinand is an injury concern and that ‘s bad news for Van Der Sar as it means he will come under heavy fire in this game against the leagues most prolific striking duo at this moment in time. A big game is needed from their number and he certainly has the capacity to deliver on the big stage.

 

Didier Drogba – I don’t think we’ve ever seen the Ivorian play as good as he’s playing right now. His early run of goals in the league seems to have lifted his confidence and he quite literally is unstoppable. Drogba wasn’t too far off leaving the club during the summer but he has proved a worthy piece of business, keeping hold of him, as his goalscoring return in the league shows – 9 goals in 11 outings and, perhaps with the exception of possibly Fernando Torres, it the hottest property in the Premiership right now. He will be a right handful for the United defence, one that couldn’t keep tabs on Fernando Torres two weeks ago, and it will be interesting to see if Drogba can terrorise the United defence just like he did against Liverpool earlier in the season.

 

 

 

 

 

Match Verdict: Chelsea to WIN – 2.10 PaddyPower

 

The simple fact that United tend to come good whenever they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge does bring about some reservations from myself but Chelsea, under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti, appear to have found another gear this season. Didier Drogba is unplayable at this moment in time, Frank Lampard is regaining his form of old, while Deco is showing once again how his intricate little mind works on a football pitch. Chelsea just look too good and too strong for a United side that have been earning too many fortunate wins. They rode their luck against both Arsenal & Man City but came undone on their first away encounter with a ‘Top Four’ side, and we expect them to happen again.

 

 

 

 

Match Odds:

 

Chelsea – 2.10 PaddyPower

 

Draw – 3.40 SkyBet

 

Manchester United – 4.00 Bet365

 

 

 Update: The result of Chelsea v Manchester United was 1-0 (goal by Terry)