The closing match of the Premier League’s opening round is the biggest event of the weekend. Manchester United hosts Chelsea, in the first super derby of the season. The Red Devils and the Blues had quite a rivalry in the past decade, and before it, when they fought fierce battles for the Premiership trophy, Unfortunately for them, they aren’t contenders for titles anymore. Their maximum now is the top-four place and the spot in the Champions League. But be sure that it won’t affect the intensity of the event, as both sides enter Sunday’s clash with only one thing on their mind, and that is a win.
Match Preview
United finally got what they wanted, and that is Harry Maguire’s signature and his presence on the court. The strong center-back came from Leicester City and will be the pivotal link in the Red Devils’ defense. Maguire is arguably one of the best players in the world, and his impact on the team will be massive. What might be the problem for United is the situation with all the transfers. They have several unfinished businesses, among them Romelu Lukaku’s future as well as Paul Pogba’s. Meanwhile, it seems that all the talks surrounding Paulo Dybala’s arrival are over. Believe it or not, Solskjaer’s team didn’t experience a single failure during the preparation period. Man Utd won all six matches, including the latest draw with AC Milan, whom they’ve conquered after the penalties. In four of those tests, United kept clean sheets, meaning that their defense increased the level of play when compared to the last season. Imagine how are they going to cooperate when Maguire catches the rhythm.
Chelsea’s situation is a bit tougher than United’s because the Blues couldn’t bring any players during the summer transfer window. UEFA has penalized the club from Stamford Bridge for breaching the financial fair play rules. This forced their executives to turn towards their youth academy, which really isn’t that bad at all. Chelsea has numerous talents who were on loans across Europe and England, and it seems that this is the moment for them to shine. And if anyone knows how to become a legend in this club, that is Frank Lampard. He was more than happy to get back to his former club and to start working. Frankie has the passion, the knowledge, and what is the most important thing, the trust of Roman Abramovich. The Blues played some very interesting matches during this preseason. Latest three saw both sides netting and over 3.5 goals, while in general, they had four wins, and one draw and a loss apiece. So, all in all, they played solid.
Head to Head
So far these two sides have met 183 times and have one of the longest histories in the English Premier League. The Red Devils won 78 games, on 51 occasions a draw has been seen, and Chelsea has 54 triumphs. During the previous campaign, both of their games in the Premiership concluded without winners, but when they faced in the FA Cup, United eliminated the Blues.
Prediction
We truly believe that this match will be an interesting one, but there isn’t a favorite or a side with a certain edge. Because of that, our first choice is a draw. The odds on that are huge, and BetXChange offer is one of the best in the market, with 2.36. Besides that, we would also go with both teams to score. United’s defense is good, but we just can’t imagine this game without at least one goal on both sides.
