The Red Devils host the Blues at Old Trafford on Wednesday, December 6, for an exciting Premier League matchup. These two teams are not playing as in their heydays, although Manchester United is on track to secure a qualifying spot for the UEFA Championship League, ranking 7th in the EPL standings.
On the other hand, the 10th-ranked Chelsea can't get into a rhythm despite some good performances. They managed to secure a point in each of their encounters with top-tier teams Manchester City and Arsenal while triumphing against Tottenham Hotspurs in November. It's time to see how they will perform against Manchester United, a team that sports gambling apps perceive as the underdog in this clash.
A surprising assessment considering the Blues have not defeated the Red Devils in their six last encounters, and the last time they walked away with a win from Old Trafford was in 2013. Let’s preview this matchup for week 15 of the English Premier League.
Manchester United Is In Decent Form
The Red Devils are playing decently and are the only team in the Premier League not to have had a draw after 14 weeks. Manchester United occupies the 7th position with 8 wins, generating 24 points. They were riding a three-game winning streak, interrupted this previous Sunday after Newcastle defeated them 1-0.
Manchester United does not break a sweat when playing lower-tier teams, but struggles to win against title contenders, and as their record shows, they can't even tie a game against favorites. This team has scored 16 goals but has a negative -1 goal differential. The Red Devils tend to score in the second half, with 68.75% of their goals occurring in the second chapter of a game.
The most accurate scorers with 3 goals each are Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay with 3 goals each. Manchester's injury report for Wednesday is not short with Mason Mount, Tyrell Malacia, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, and Jonny Evans expected to miss the game.
Chelsea Is Not Disciplined
The Blues have 5 wins and drew 4 times, but lost 5 games so far in the season, and they are not playing consistently well. This situation creates frustrations, something evident from the 44 yellows and 2 red cards received, the most for a Premier League team this season.
Relevant to the matchup against Manchester United, Chelsea is a more effective scorer with 22 netted goals and a positive +2 goal differential, signaling they are more productive on offense and defense compared to the Red Devils.
The top scorer for the Blues is Nicolas Jackson with 6 goals in 13 games played. On Wednesday, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Trevoh Chalobah will not be playing due to injuries. However, Marc Cucurella and Reece James will be back on the roster after completing yellow and red card suspensions.
Betting Prediction
The best free bet sites provide moneyline bets with +140 odds on Chelsea and +190 odds for Manchester United, with a draw offering +265 betting line. This will likely be a low-scoring game, with a 0.5 goal spread being accompanied by -175 odds on the Red Devils to Cover and +125 odds on the Blues to cover.
The total of 2.5 goals offers -155 odds for the Over bet and +125 odds for the Under Bet. Games at Old Trafford average 2.5 goals, making the Over a solid option. Picking the winner is tricky. Tradition is against Chelsea, but this is a team with a healthier roster and a tendency to play well against higher-ranking teams.
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