Any loss suffered invariably leads to a crisis at Manchester United, but the nature of their defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park was particularly damaging. The Red Devils managed just one shot on target, and conceded a whopping 2.98 xG in that reverse, piling further pressure on manager Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman has cited fixture congestion as a reason for his side’s struggles, but a series of disjointed performances has fans fearing the worst ahead of the festive season.
Injuries may have haunted their defensive efforts, but it’s United’s forward line that has arguably caused them more problems this season, with their return of just 16 Premier League (PL) goals better than only Crystal Palace and the bottom-four ahead of this round. The visit of top-half opposition should have hearts racing at Old Trafford, as although they’ve lost just one of the last 13 H2Hs against Chelsea (W5, D7), they’re yet to win a PL point this term against a side currently sitting in the top-ten.
The Blues make the long journey north buoyant after coming out on the right side of a five-goal thriller against Brighton on Sunday (W 3-2). Manager Mauricio Pochettino felt a mix of pride and disappointment as his side successfully bounced back from a bruising 4-1 defeat to Newcastle, but the dismissal of Conor Gallagher against the Seagulls means he’ll be missing a key member of his midfield here.
That’s hardly ideal timing as they seek to leave Old Trafford victorious for the first time since May 2013 (D6, L4). Sir Alex Ferguson was still the United manager when Chelsea last won at this ground, but this crop of players have been confident travellers of late, as before their Newcastle hammering, they’d won three consecutive PL road trips.
Players to watch: Amid his side’s struggles, Harry Maguire has enjoyed a career resurgence with United this season and his first PL goal in a red shirt came in a 2-0 win at Chelsea in February 2020. Fellow international Raheem Sterling will be hoping to break an incredible drought against the Red Devils, having gone 24 games against the Red Devils without scoring against them.
Hot stat: Man Utd are yet to lead a PL home game at half-time this season, while Chelsea haven’t been behind in a PL game at any venue at the interval.
