Manchester United vs Chelsea Preview

Manchester United will play their first Premier League game post-Erik ten Hag era this Sunday when they welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford.

The Red Devils parted ways with Ten Hag earlier this week after a poor start to the season. The Dutchman, who only signed an extended contract at Old Trafford during the summer, led United to just three wins and four losses (D2) in their opening nine games.

This has left the Red Devils sitting in 14th position, trailing fourth-placed Aston Villa by seven points. Even more telling is that the 11 points United have accrued is their second-fewest at this stage of a Premier League season. If results elsewhere go against them, they could kick off against Chelsea as low as 16th in the table – an astonishingly low ranking for the competition’s most successful club.

However, there could be a new sheriff in town before the game, too, with Man United currently in discussions with Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim over becoming United boss. And even though the Portuguese won’t be in the dugout against Chelsea, United fans will feel hopeful about getting a good result here after Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy led them to a 5-2 win over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup.

Van Nistelrooy can also be inspired by the fact that United are unbeaten in the last 11 league H2Hs at Old Trafford (W5, D6) and could win three such H2Hs in a row for the first time since January 1957. Meanwhile, Chelsea will hope to end their winless run at Old Trafford when they face United on Sunday.

The Blues are in better shape than United but this game remains a huge test for them as they try to break into the top four places. Enzo Maresca’s side enter the weekend within touching distance of the top four, but suffered disappointment in midweek when they were dumped out of the EFL Cup by Newcastle (2-0), the same opposition Chelsea beat in the league last Sunday (2-1).

The Italian coach shuffled his pack for the midweek defeat, so his first-team players should be fresh as Chelsea chases a second consecutive H2H victory over United for the first time since March 2011.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table