While the league title has very much been decided thanks to Liverpool’s dominance, the fight for the last Champions League spot is hotting up. From Chelsea in fourth to Wolves in ninth, only six points separate the teams. In that mix is Manchester United in eighth position. Therefore, the importance of this match is not lost on both teams. Manchester United know a win will cut the deficit between them and Chelsea to just three points. Chelsea, though, with many teams eyeing up and swarming around that fourth spot, know they cannot afford to slip, especially not with a direct rival. Our betting tip focuses on the goal market. Read more about that after an introduction of the teams and the possible line-ups.
All the pressure is on Chelsea as they fight to hold on to the last Champions League spot, with Manchester City and Leicester City all but confirming their participation in the competition with their form (barring any unusual loss of form). At the moment, though, their destiny is in their own hands. They only need to keep winning or accumulating more points than their nearest rivals. Currently, the London football club has 41 points from 25 matches, thanks to 12 wins, five draws and eight losses.
The Blues come into this match in uninspiring form; they have only won one of their last five matches in the EPL since the turn of the year. In that run, they have also lost once and drawn three matches. In fact, they come into this match off the back of two draws, both with a 2-2 scoreline against Leicester City and Arsenal. The draw against Arsenal was particularly frustrating, after letting the lead go twice despite having a man advantage for more than 70 minutes.
Chelsea’s form at home is especially worrying. In 12 home games, Frank Lampard’s men have only won five and lost four times already, with three draws to boot. In those 12 games, they’ve only scored 16 goals and conceded 12 goals. Their last three matches at home have been split; a 2-0 loss to Southampton, a 3-0 win over Burnley and a 2-2 draw against Arsenal. They are yet to win in three games also.
Manchester United come into this match having failed to score in four of their last five EPL matches. And thanks to that record, they have only a single game in the run, a 4-0 win over EPL bottom club, Norwich. That run also includes three losses against Arsenal, Liverpool and Burnley, all with a 2-0 scoreline. The most maddening result must be the match against Burnley, which they lost at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils also have a lot of uncertainty hovering over the team’s head. Just some days ago, their newly-appointed PR personnel was pictured with Mauricio Pochetino, and it’s still unclear what the meeting was about. It would perhaps take a very strong finish to the season for the Norwegian to keep his job. And there’s still a lot to play for. The 20-time champions are still in the Europa League as well as the FA Cup.
When playing away from home this season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have played 12 matches and only won three, with six losses and three draws to boot. That’s a meagre 12 points from a possible 36 points – very mid-table form. Goals have also been hard to come by away from home, with an average of a goal scored per game.
Manchester United have failed to score in four of their last five league games, and they continue to feel the absence of Marcus Rashford, who is the team’s highest goalscorer with 22 goals (14 league goals). The Red Devils have also conceded at least two goals in three of their last five matches. Chelsea, on the other hand, have scored at least two goals in their last three home games. Added to this is the fact that four of the last five games involving the Blues have featured more than 2.5 goals. As such, while a home win is plausible, we reckon that over 2.5 goals is a safer and more valuable option. Nairabet offers the following odds: Over 2.5 goals – 1.88 odds. Click here to learn more about Nairabet and the Nairabet Bonus.
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