Date: Saturday 20th
September 2025
Venue: old Trafford
Kick-off: 17:30 BST
Grab your popcorn and maybe a stress ball—because tonight’s game sees us travel to Old Trafford, where we’ll likely get ninety minutes of drama, hope, and the kind of football that could make even Shakespeare drop his quill. After our midweek schooling by Bayern Munich, it’s United’s turn to roll out the red carpet, and history suggests they rarely let us trample all over it: twelve unbeaten at home against us, and our Old Trafford win rate languishing at a modest 18%.
United
come limping in after a 3-0 walkover from their neighbours at the Etihad, while
our own VAR fairy godparent seems to have gone on holiday, leaving us to settle
for a single point at Brentford thanks to a last-gasp equaliser.
But
if you’re expecting a snooze-fest, consider this: this fixture has ended in a
draw 27 times. Will it be another cagey stalemate, or is Ruben Amorim plotting
to use those extra Champions League rest days to stage the great Old Trafford
heist and keep his seat warm for another week?
MANAGER’S VIEWS
Going into
today’s game, Manchester United Ruben Amorim, says “I think, again, we are
playing well until we reach the boxes. We need to be more clinical. If you see
the number of shots, the xG, all these things are good, but if you don’t score,
or win games, it doesn’t matter. Then, again, I said after the last game, the
way we suffer the goals, we can avoid it. We are being naive and we need to be
more aggressive to win games. We just need to maintain how we are playing, with
improving in the opponent’s box and our box. That was the focus of the week,
especially with Chelsea, which is a team that crosses they have more guys in
the box and we suffer a little bit against Fulham and we work a lot during the
week on that. It’s always the same cycle. Analyse what we did and improve for
the next week.
Enzo
Maresca, meanwhile, says “I think Manchester United is a big club, they have
a big manager and no doubt that they are going to do important things with
Ruben. The only thing I can say is that I really appreciate Ruben. I’ve watched
Ruben’s games since he was in Sporting. He’s a magnificent manager. Like all
the managers, when you start a new project, sometimes you can struggle a little
bit more or a little bit less, but at the end, you’re going to struggle. I
don’t have any doubt that he’s a fantastic manager.”
SQUAD NEWS
For Manchester United, Martinez (knee),
Dlot (muscle) are out, whilst Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha are available
again.
For Chelsea, Levi Colwill (ACL), Liam
Delap (hamstring), Dario Essugo (thigh), Romeo Lavia, and Benoit Badiashille (unspecified)
remain out injured, whilst the Mykhaylo Mudryk suspension continues.
TEAMS
MANCHESTER
UNITED (Possible line-up): Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt,
Shaw; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Amad; Sesko
CHELSEA
(Possible line-up): Sanchez;
James, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella; Fernadez. Caicedo, Neto; Palmer, Garnacho, Pedro
LAST SEASON
Manchester United 1-1
Chelsea (3 November 2024)
CURRENT FORM
MANCHESTER UNITED: LDWL
CHELSEA: DWWD
OTHER STUFF
- Manchester United are
unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League home games against Chelsea
- Chelsea’s win rate of
18% at Old Trafford in the Premier League is their lowest away to any side they
have visited 10+ times in the competition.
- Chelsea won the last meeting at Stamford
Bridge in May
- Chelsea’s two wins in their last three
league games versus Manchester United are as many as their previous 17
beforehand.
- This is the most drawn
fixture in Premier League history, finishing level 27 times. 14 of those draws
have come at Old Trafford.
- Manchester United have won two of their
last three home Premier League games.
PREDICTION
Sportsmole: Manchester United 0-2 Chelsea
