We’ve got a blue-blood battle on Saturday, and it comes at a weird time for both clubs. Chelsea was flying high at the start of the season, but dropped points to Tottenham last weekend and suffered a tough mid-week Carabao Cup loss to Liverpool. Man United has been much worse off and hasn’t won a match in its last eight tries across three competitions. Which of these teams can get back on track this weekend?
Chelsea is a +100 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, with a +295 draw. Man United’s moneyline is set at +255.
Chelsea vs. Man United Pick, Best Bet
The Blues sure can’t complain about their position so far. They’re fifth in the Prem so far with 13 points from their first eight games. What they can complain about is how they got here: they made big investments in the team’s goal-stopping areas, and goals are still getting through. Chelsea has conceded 15 goals so far, tied for third-most in the league. Manager Xabi Alonso needs to find some answers on the back line before they drop more points unnecessarily.
At least they have the attack to paper over their struggles. Morgan Rogers has been well worth the huge sum they paid for him, bagging five goals and four assists in 11 competitive matches so far. Cole Palmer hasn’t built on his breakout campaign, but is still producing solid results. Joao Pedro has provided several important goals, and Pedro Neto is starting to find his form as well. It’s a deep, versatile group that will give opposing defenses headaches all season long.
United wishes it had only one side of the ball to worry about. So far, the club is 1-4-3 in Premier League play, which puts them 16th in the table. Things have been particularly dire in the last few weeks, as the Red Devils have been winless in their last eight matches across the Premier League, the Champions League, and the Carabao Cup. They crashed out of the Cup to Brighton, got outclassed by Atletico Madrid in UCL play, and suffered a tremendously embarrassing 4-1 loss to Como in the UCL that almost got their manager fired. It’s a bit of a shock that Michael Carrick remains at the helm heading into this tilt, and anything other than a win will cost him his job.
This matchup hinges on the central midfield. Chelsea already had a strong 1-2 punch in the middle between Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia, and it only got stronger with Jordan Henderson’s arrival. Caicedo and Lavia are strong in possession and defense, while Henderson adds attacking punch. United signed Youri Tielemans to be their midfield workhorse, but it’s not panning out; he looks slow in defense and ineffective in attack. Kobbie Mainoo, Carlos Baleba, and Andrey Santos all have a lot of potential up and down the pitch, but it hasn’t materialized effectively. If Chelsea can press its advantage in the center, it should be a comfortable win; if United can flip the script, it has a strong chance of taking all three points.
Many squads play their best when their backs are against the wall. I don’t buy that United is that kind of club right now. The Blues will overwhelm the Red Devils with their attacking play and claim all three points.
