Manchester United v Chelsea – Preview
What a mouth-watering fixture the Premier League has churned out in the opening weekend. Title contenders Manchester United (33/1) and Chelsea Football Club (33/1) lock horns at Old Trafford on Sunday.
In a battle of the young managers, it will be 46-year old Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s Red Devils hosting 41-year old Frank Lampard’s Blues. Solskjær was awarded a three-year permanent contract in March after impressing as interim manager following the dismissal of Jose Mourinho in December 2018. Meanwhile, Lampard took over the reins at Stamford Bridge at the beginning of July. Both managers have intimate knowledge of the Premier League having donned the colours of the very teams they’re managing for more than 30 years between them as players. However they have limited managerial experience and it comes as no surprise that the United boss is the bookies second favourite (6/1), behind Newcastle manager Steve Bruce (4/1), to get the axe first. Chelsea were hit with a two-window transfer embargo for allegedly breaking rules on the signings of minors from abroad in February and this may be a mitigating factor in Lampard being priced at 14/1 to be the next manager to leave.
Pre-season matches having increasingly become public relations and marketing exercises and therefore one can’t read too much into them. Having said that the Red Devils go into Sunday’s match with some form behind them having won five of their six (one draw) pre-season friendlies and are the current favourites to win at 6/5. The men from West London haven’t fared too badly either in their preseason travels having won four of their six encounters and drawing two. They can be backed to win at 5/2 with the draw coming in at 47/20.
They say history has a way of repeating itself and if that’s true then a draw might be the most likely outcome after the two teams couldn’t be separated in the Premier League last season. The full-time score at the Bridge was 2-2 before the teams played out to a 1-1 draw in the second fixture at Old Trafford in April. There’s some good value in a correct score bet:
Correct Score |
|
0-0 |
(17/2) |
1-1 |
(13/2) |
2-2 |
(13/2) |
3-3 |
(7/1) |
Chelsea may have lost their Belgian magician Eden Hazard to Real Madrid and be banned from signing new players this current window but their fans do have something to smile about. The Blues signed 20-year old American starlet Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund in the 2018 January transfer window. The winger-cum-attacking midfielder was purchased for a reported fee of £58 million but then loaned him straight back to the German Bundesliga outfit till the end of the season. The number 22 is priced at 14/1 to win the PFA Young Player of the Year and 15/1 to top the assists charts. For the Sunday’s clash, the odds of him becoming an instant Chelsea icon and scoring is 17/4. You can get the handsome price of 28/1 should he provide an assist as well as score.
Manchester United have splashed the cash in the transfer window and have reinforced their defence with big money moves for former Crystal Palace fullback Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£50 million) and England center back Harry Maguire (£80 million) from Leicester City. Maguire is now the world’s most expensive defender and will have a lot to prove as he aims to justify his price tag. Whether or not you believe that he’s worth the loot we have specific betting markets available for Harry Maguire for Sunday’s crucial encounter:
Yes |
No |
|
To get a Card |
(15/4) |
(1/7) |
To get a Red Card |
(33/1) |
|
To score & get booked |
(40/1) |
|
To get booked & player's team to lose |
(14/1) |
(1/100) |
To score from a header |
(14/1) |
(1/100) |
Come what may, Sunday’s marquee clash will go a long way in laying down a marker for the long English Premier League season ahead.
