Chelsea vs. Man Utd: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

A crucial fixture in the Premier League’s top-five race beckons in west London.

Chelsea are running out of time in the top five race. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Chelsea are entering ’must-win’ territory in their bid to play in next season’s Champions League, and another huge game beckons for the Blues on Saturday night.

Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge off the back of a surprise home defeat to Leeds United on Monday. Daniel Farke’s ebullient Whites capitalized on Red Devil rustiness at the Theatre of Dreams, scoring twice early to leave the hosts with plenty to do.

Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes combined again to halve the deficit, but Leeds held on for their first league win at Old Trafford in 45 years. As a result, United have been dragged back into the top-five scrap, with sixth-place Chelsea seven points adrift but having the chance to eat into that deficit this weekend.

Liam Rosenior’s men have lost three Premier League games on the bounce, meaning they’re on the outside looking in. Last week’s 3–0 defeat at home to title chasers Manchester City started well enough, but they were eventually blown away by a much-improved Cityzens in the second half.

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Chelsea vs. Man Utd Score Prediction

Spoils Shared at the Bridge

Man Utd edged the reverse fixture 2–1. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

It was an action-packed encounter when these two teams last locked horns, as Robert Sánchez’s early dismissal set up a 2–1 win for Man Utd while Ruben Amorim was still parading the home dugout at Old Trafford.

This is no longer a fixture that decides Premier League titles, but plenty is riding on Saturday’s game. A Chelsea victory will only tighten the top-five race and raise questions as to whether United are slumping at the wrong moment.

However, should the visitors bounce back from a terrible defeat and triumph in west London, they’ll feel assured of competing in the Champions League next season. Chelsea could conceivably end the weekend as low as 10th if they lose their fourth-straight league outing.

• Chelsea’s Home Record vs. Man Utd: The hosts have an excellent recent record in this fixture, with the Blues losing just one of their previous 12 games against the Red Devils at Stamford Bridge. Five of these games have ended all square.
• Common Draws: Chelsea vs. Man Utd is the most commonly drawn fixture in Premier League history, with 27 meetings finishing all square. Only seven of these draws have been scoreless, too.
• Dire Run Close to Unprecedented: Chelsea enter Saturday’s game off the back of three consecutive league defeats. The Blues have only lost four in a row once this century, which came towards the end of their worst-ever Premier League campaign in 2022–23.

Prediction: Chelsea 1–1 Man Utd

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Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Man Utd

Enzo Fernández returns for the hosts. | FotMob

Rosenior waxed lyrical over Enzo Fernández’s performances in training heading into Saturday’s game, and the Argentine is expected to come straight back into the Chelsea team after missing the rout of Port Vale and comprehensive defeat to Man City.

Estêvão will likely miss out after his poor display last week, with Cole Palmer working in tandem with Fernández between the lines.

Trevoh Chalobah is close to making his return from injury, but Saturday’s game may be a week too soon for the center back. Reece James is “further away” than Chalobah in his recovery from a hamstring issue, according to Rosenior.

There’s still hope that Levi Colwill will appear before the end of the season after tearing his ACL last summer. The defender played for the U-21s in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Friday.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gusto, Fofana, Hato, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Palmer, Fernández, Neto; Pedro.

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Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea

The visitors are without their two starting center backs. | FotMob

Man Utd are short at the heart of their defense for Saturday’s trip to the capital.

Lisandro Martínez will serve a suspension for his hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin in Monday night’s shock defeat to Leeds, while Harry Maguire’s ban was extended to two games following an FA investigation.

Maguire was dismissed in United’s 2–2 draw with Bournemouth before the international break, but has been suspended for an extra game due to ’improper conduct’ towards the match officials.

Without his two starting center backs, Carrick will have to deploy Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven in tandem. Matthijs de Ligt is still sidelined with a back injury.

The visitors will hope to have Kobbie Mainoo back alongside Casemiro in midfield after the Englishman missed Monday’s game with a knock. Moreover, Patrick Dorgu should recover from his hamstring injury by the end of the month.

Man Utd predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Dalot, Yoro, Heaven, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Šeško.

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What Time Does Chelsea vs. Man Utd Kick Off?

• Location: London, England
• Stadium: Stamford Bridge
• Date: Saturday, April 18
• Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
• Referee: Michael Oliver
• VAR: Tony Harrington

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How to Watch Chelsea vs. Man Utd on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV Channel/Live Stream
United States	Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UNIVERSO, UNIVERSO NOW, Peacock
United Kingdom	TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, HBO Max
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada
Mexico	FOX One

• MORE: Full list of Premier League broadcasters around the world

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