It’s Manchester United vs Chelsea in Premier League action on 8/11/10 at Old Trafford.
Manchester United
Manchester United is the winningest football club in England. They have won a record 20 Premier League titles, 12 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, and a record 21 FA Shields. Aside from those, Manchester United has won 3 UEFA Champions League titles, 1 UEFA Europa Cup, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup, and 1 FIFA Club World Cup. They also became the first club in English football history to achieve the continental European treble. Former United Player and Molde manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho who was fired in December 2018. The Reds went on to win 14 out of their first 19 games under the Norwegian. This included a victory over Paris Saint Germain in the Round of 16 of the Champions League even after losing the first leg 0-2. The Reds are looking to start their 2019-20 campaign on a high note after a disappointing finish to the previous term. They enter this match as the soccer betting favorites to beat Chelsea.
Here are the players for Manchester United as of July 1, 2019:
1 GK David de Gea, 2 DF Victor Lindelof, 3 DF Eric Bailly, 4 DF Phil Jones, 6 MF Paul Pogba, 7 FW Alexis Sanchez, 8 MF Juan Mata, 9 FM Romelu Lukaku, 10 FW Marcus Rashford, 11 FW Anthony Martial, 12 DF Chris Smalling, 13 GK Lee Grant, 13 MF Jesse Lingard, 15 MF Andreas Pereira, 16 DF Marcos Rojo, 17 MF Fred, 18 DF Ashley Young, 20 DF Diogo Dalot, 21 MF Daniel James, 22 GK Sergio Romero, 23 DF Luke Shaw, 24 DF Timothy Fosu-Mensah, 29 DF Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 31 MF Nemanja Matic, 36 DF Matteo Darmian, 38 DF Alex Tuanzebe, 39 MF Scott Tominay, 40 GK Joel Pereira
Chelsea
Chelsea is among England’s most successful squads. They have won a total of 6 top flight titles, 8 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, 2 UEFA Europa Leagues, 2 UEFA Cup Winners Cup, 1 UEFA Champions League and 1 UEFA Super Cup. The Blues have found plenty of success in the last two decades as they have won five of their six League championships and one UEFA Champions League during this period. They hold the distinction of being the only London-based club to win the Champions League and one of only five clubs to win all three UEFA main club competitions. Frank Lampard, considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generations, has been appointed as head coach of Chelsea. The team has also added Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic to solidify their roster. Young players like Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham look to figure in bigger roles this term after Lampard’s arrival and the enforcement of the transfer embargo.
Here are the list of players for Chelsea as of July 24, 2019:
1 GK Kepa Arrizabalaga, 2 DF Antonio Rudiger, 3 DF Marcos Alonso, 5 MF Jorginho, 6 MF Danny Drinkwater, 7 MF N’Golo Kante, 8 MF Ross Barkley, 11 FW Pedro, 12 MF Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 13 GK Willy Caballero, 14 MF Tiemoue Bakayoko, 16 FW Kenedy, 17 MF Mateo Kovacic, 18 FW Olivier Giroud, 20 FW Callum Hudson-Odoi, 21 DF Davide Zappacosta, 22 FW Willian, 23 FW Michy Batshuayi, 27 DF Andreas Christiansen, 28 DF Cesar Azpilicueta (captain), 30 DF David Luz, 33 DF Emerson Palmieri, FW Tammy Abraham, MF Marco Van Ginkel, MF Mason Mount, FW Cristian Pulisic, and 5 DF Kurt Zouma.
Who Wins?
Manchester United sputtered to end the previous term, losing 8 out of their final 12 matches across all competitions including an embarrassing 0-2 defeat at the hands of Cardiff on the closing day here at Old Trafford. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer enjoyed early success with 14 wins in 17 games after taking over from Jose Mourinho but after how last season ended, he will have to answer to many questions.
The Norwegian boss appears keen on duplicating the up-tempo tactics that are used by neighbors Manchester City and Liverpool. To do this, Solskjaer is looking at the transfer market to add young and athletic players. There are several rumors pointing to high profile departures but Solskjaer believes this is part of the process and the way to move forward.
On the other hand, Chelsea finished its season on a high note. They beat out Tottenham for third place in the final Premier League table and then proceeded to defeat Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League Final. But while basking in their success in Baku, two high profile transfers have put their future on hold.
Eden Hazard’s transfer to Real Madrid has taken away their main attacking weapon. The loss of Maurizio Sarri to Juventus is also a big blow to the team. But just before the transfer ban took effect, Chelsea was able to get Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund. For sure, Pulisic will help fill the void, but he on his own, he will not be enough.
Manchester United still has a very talented line-up. Chelsea’s attack has been depleted but there is still enough talent on this squad to be able to compete. These teams figured in a 1-1 draw last April and this match should be as close or yield the same results. I’m picking Manchester United to win but I won’t prevent you from picking a draw because these teams are competitive. Prediction: Manchester United