Chelsea certainly achieved a very gutsy win earlier today, against a team they have had a ton of connections with over the past couple of years, in Brighton & Hove Albion. Playing down a man for the whole second half, they held on for the win, and now it’s a very quick turnaround to the next league fixture, a trip to Manchester United.
You can probably expect manager Mauricio Pochettino to make a few changes to his first team, simply for the cause of squad rotation, i.e. having fresh legs.
Manchester United vs Chelsea FC FYIs
Kick: Wed. Dec. 6, 8:15 pm, Old Trafford
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea FC Manchester United
Team News: Chelsea FC Manchester United
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Chelsea FC win 40% Draw 27% Manchester United 33%
PL Standing, Form Guide: Chelsea FC 10th, 19 pts, WLDWL Manchester United 7th, 24 pts, LWWWL
Reece James and Marc Cucurella are back from suspension, and we believe the former will be back in the mix, but the latter stays on the sidelines here, in favor of one of today’s goal-scorers, Levi Colwill.
There will be some changes in attack and the midfield too, as Conor Gallagher (who had started every single league match so far this season, is suspended).
Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction at Manchester United
Robert Sanchez; Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Thiago Silva, Reece James; Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Cole Palmer, Ian Maatsen, Raheem Sterling; Armando Broja
Prediction: Man United 2, Chelsea 1
Both of these big money, giant clubs are struggling right now, amid a season of a lot of ups and downs. Although both fan bases will tell you its been more downs than ups, and honestly, they are not wrong. We’re seeing this United’s turn to be up and Chelsea’s turn to be down.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.