Date: Friday 16th
May 2025
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 20:15 BST
The penultimate game of the season sees
us back at Stamford Bridge, to play host to Manchester United.
We both come into tonight’s game off the
back of defeats. We had a pretty poor showing against Newcastle, in the first
half at least, with the Geordies clearly more motivated for the points under
Eddie Howe than our lacklustre lightweights under Maresca, who’s now about as
welcome as Andrew Tate on a Hen Night
Bizarrely, United sit 16th in
the Premier League going into tonight’s game after their defeat to West Ham,
and, even more bizarrely, they will still quality for the Champions League if
they beat Sp*rs in the Europa League final next week and could also stop us
from qualifying if they beat us tonight.
Our home form has been better than away
recently, although that’s not hard. The visitors, meanwhile, haven’t had a win
for 7 games and have taken just one point from their last 4 away, so it’s
nailed on they’ll play like a team possessed against us, whilst our aimless sideways
passing, and insistence on bringing the keeper into the game, will muster up as
many opportunities for them as is humanly possible in 90 minutes of football.
16th or not, they’ll fancy taking
something off us.
MANAGER’S VIEWS
Going into
today’s game, Enzo Maresca, says “I think at the beginning of the season we
were, as you said, if someone said to us that we need to win the last two games
to reach the Champions League spot, probably we would have been happy. I think
overall during the season we had moments, for instance the first five or six
months where we were second, third, so even better. Now we are there and we are
going to try to finish well.
Since
day one, I said that the target that the club gave to me was in two years we
want to play in the Champions League. Since day one. But when you arrive to
March and you have been all season, top four, top five, it’s natural that the
target is to finish in the Champions League. So the reason why it changed from
the beginning is because we arrived to March, international break, I still
remember that we were there all season.
So
it’s normal that then the target becomes to finish top four, top five. So what
has changed is that because we have been there all season, the target
automatically becomes finish top four, top five.”
Manchester
United manager, Ruben Amorin, meanwhile, says “The best way is to face the
game like we should face the game, it is to win the game. We need to perform,
to win points in the Premier League, and that is the feeling. We talked about
that after West Ham. We need to improve in the way we face
competitions and stay focused in every moment of the game. Against West Ham we
had clear situations to score. In the first situation they have, they score.
These details matter. The only way I know how to prepare for a final is in the
normal game for our league, we must play the same way as a final.
We
have to try to recover. The best [way] to prepare for the final is to play the
game and then the players have to understand that if you play or don’t play
against Chelsea, it means nothing to the final. That is important.
I
am just preparing for the game at Chelsea. That is my focus. We want to win and
we want to perform. I don’t know [how close Friday’s team will be to that for
the final]. I know the starting XI I am thinking of for Chelsea and then I will
see. Even the way we play there against Chelsea, I will see it, and it will be
important for the next one.”
SQUAD NEWS
For Chelsea, Marc Guiu (hamstring), Omari Kellyman
(hamstring), Wesley Fofana (muscle) and Christopher Nkunku (knock) are injured.
Mykhaylo Mudryk and Nicolas Jackson are suspended, whilst Jadon Sancho is
ineligible to play.
For Manchester United, Joshua Zirkzee (hamstring), Lisandro
Martinez (knee) and Diogo Dalot (calf) are injured, Leny Yoro (foot) is a
doubt.
TEAMS
CHELSEA
(Possible line-up): Sanchez;
James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, George,
Neto
MANCHESTER UNITED (Possible line-up): Bayindir; Fredricson, Lindelof, Shaw;
Kamason, Eriksen, Ugarte, Amass; Mainoo, Garnacho; Obi
LAST SEASON
Chelsea 4-3 Manchester
United (4th April 2024)
CURRENT FORM (PL)
CHELSEA: DDWWWL
MANCHESTER UNITED:
DLLDLL
OTHER STUFF
- Chelsea have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games
against Manchester United.
- Manchester United have won just one of
their last 11 Premier League away games against Chelsea.
- Chelsea vs Manchester United is the most
drawn fixture in Premier League history.
- The reverse fixture at Old Trafford this
season finished 1-1, with both meetings between the sides finishing level in
seven previous campaigns.
- Chelsea haven’t lost their final home
league game in any of the last 22 seasons.
- Manchester United have won their final
away league game in four of the last five seasons.
- Manchester United are without a win in
seven when their final match on the road is at a London side.
- Chelsea are unbeaten in all nine of their
Premier League home games so far in 2025.
- Manchester United are winless in their
last seven Premier League games.
PREDICTION
Sportsmole: Chelsea 3-1 Manchester United
