Manchester United vs Chelsea Predictions

• Man Utd have failed to win five of their last seven home Premier League matches, losing three
• Chelsea have avoided defeat in five of their last six away league games, winning three
• Cole Palmer has scored four goals in four games for Chelsea against Manchester United

Amorim on thin ice

Ruben Amorim’s dismal win ratio at Manchester United looks unlikely to receive a boost on Saturday when the Red Devils entertain Chelsea in a crucial Premier League clash. It is crucial for Amorim, who may not hear his name sung as loudly – or at all – by the home fans if his side fail to impress.

And it is also crucial that Chelsea do not let this chance to bounce back after last week’s draw at Brentford pass because any more dropped points would leave them trailing in the wake of Liverpool.

United’s defeat in last weekend’s derby was not unexpected, but the manner in which they caved in was unacceptable in the eyes of their fans. The board are sticking by Amorim for now, but another performance like that could be the final straw.

Derby stats painted a false picture

The stats from the derby, which suggest it should have been a much closer result, paint a false picture because City were always comfortable. Pep Guardiola had been outmaneuvered by Thomas Frank and Fabian Hurzeler in City’s two previous league games, but Amorim was unable to find any answers.

United’s players look shackled by his system and prone to the sort of mistakes that are borne out of not being certain of their responsibilities. If the Portuguese coach has not been able to drum it into them in his first 10 months in charge, then the week he has had following Sunday’s defeat is unlikely to make a difference.

Chelsea remain a work in progress too, but they look happy in Enzo Maresca’s structure and capable of flexibility when the coach wants it. The Blues matched Bayern Munich for most of Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat at Allianz Arena only to be undone by a couple of individual mistakes at the back.

Palmer can pile on the misery

Maresca’s men scored a good goal in Munich and had another effort chalked off for a marginal offside. The Blues have scored nine goals in their last three Premier League games and could maintain that three-goal average at Old Trafford if they exploit the home side’s flaws.

One of those is in central midfield where Bruno Fernandes has been shoehorned into a position that does not suit his defensive deficiencies. When considering an anytime goalscorer bet in United games, first think about which opposing midfielder will run off the back of the United captain into space in the box.

Emile Smith-Rowe and Phil Foden have already done it this season and Cole Palmer, who scored on Wednesday in Munich, looks the obvious choice to make it five in five games for Chelsea against the Red Devils.