It’s a very fierce battle for the fifth and final UEFA Champions League qualification slot, these final two weeks, and Chelsea FC have to like their chances. The Blues are level on points with Aston Villa, but they are up, by a massive margin of +12, in the goal differential tie-breaker. Like Villa, they have a very favorable opponent on Friday night. Chelsea takes on Man United, who looked absolutely atrocious last weekend in a 2-0 loss to West Ham United. Considering that manager Ruben Amorim started a strong team, it only makes the overall result look that much worse.
Chelsea FC vs Manchester United FYIs
Kickoff: Friday May 16, 8:15 BST, Stamford Bridge, London, UK
United Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Chelsea FC Previews: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Premier League Standing: Chelsea FC 5th, 63 pts Manchester United 16th, 39 pts
Google Result Probability: Man United win 11% Draw 17% Chelsea FC win 71%
But on Friday, while Chelsea is facing United, Villa will be taking on the other lower table side that somehow someway advanced to the UEFA Europa League Final- Tottenham Hotspur.
So in a way, these two Friday fixtures are mirror images of one another. Due to injuries and suspensions, both plural, Chelsea have a shortage of options in the attack, especially so at the striker position. We’ll cover that in the next post.
Chelsea FC Starting Lineup Prediction vs Man United
Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella; Romeo Lavia, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo; Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter