Manchester United vs. Chelsea Prediction: Red Devils Begin Post-Ten Hag Era

• Manchester United fired Erik ten Hag as their manager earlier this week

• Chelsea have made a decent start to life under their new boss Enzo Maresca

• All eyes will be on Old Trafford as these two English giants lock horns on Sunday

Manchester United vs. Chelsea Odds

The odds for Manchester United vs Chelsea are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook. Place your bets at FanDuel and claim $150 in bonus bets if your bet wins.

Manchester United vs. Chelsea Pick

Go for a Chelsea win in this one. The Blues are the more settled side and that could make all the difference.

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Manchester United Have Finally Given Ten Hag the Boot

In the end, the last straw was a 2-1 defeat by West Ham United. A day after that loss last weekend, Manchester United fired their manager Erik ten Hag. Ironically, the Dutchman had survived much worse performances than the one his team turned in against West Ham. But with United 14th in the Premier League table, no one was surprised when the ax fell.

In truth, it was a long time coming. Most observers were surprised when the United hierarchy did not make the call at the end of last season. The Red Devils finished eighth, their lowest-ever placing in the Premier League era. It looked like a change of manager was in the offing, but United’s surprise victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final earned Ten Hag a stay of execution.

Yet given how inept United were in 2023/24, it was always going to be tough for Ten Hag to remain at Old Trafford in the long term. The problems at the club run deeper than the head coach, but Ten Hag can have few complaints about the decision. After a promising debut campaign in Manchester, United went backward on his watch.

Most damning of all was the absence of an on-field identity. It was never clear what exactly United were trying to do on the soccer field. Other managers who were much newer in the job than Ten Hag quickly gave their team a defined style of play. Even in his third campaign at the helm, it was not exactly clear what the United manager wanted from his players.

Ruben Amorim is on his way as Ten Hag’s permanent successor, but interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy looks set to oversee Sunday’s clash with Chelsea. The United legend will be keen to make the most of his chance to manage in the Premier League.

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Chelsea Have Had a Pretty Smooth Start to the Season

There was no shortage of doom and gloom around Stamford Bridge before a ball had been kicked this term, but Chelsea have actually had a smoother start to the season than most people envisaged. Indeed, after another chaotic summer an unfamiliar but welcome feeling of calm has descended on the blue half of west London.

Enzo Maresca deserves credit for that. Handed a bloated squad, he has wasted little time in settling on a favoured team. Instead of chopping and changing game plans and personnel, we already know what to expect from Maresca’s side.

Chelsea are reaping the rewards. They have been beaten by both Manchester City and Liverpool, a pair of results which confirm that the Blues are not quite ready to challenge at the very top of the division. But they have mostly performed well otherwise: Chelsea have taken 17 points from the 21 available if you exclude those two aforementioned defeats.

The upshot is that Maresca’s charges sit fifth in the table heading into the weekend, with just one point separating them from Aston Villa in fourth and Arsenal in third. That is a respectable state of affairs ahead of gameweek 10, which brings this trip to Old Trafford.

Chelsea were beaten in midweek, going down to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup. But they beat the same opponents in the Premier League last weekend and will arrive in Manchester with the belief that they can collect another three points on Sunday. 

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Which Way Will This Crunch Clash at Old Trafford Go?

As you can see from the odds in the table above, the sportsbooks consider Manchester United and Chelsea equally likely to emerge triumphant in the late game on Sunday. Home advantage is a factor in United’s favor, but overall we recommend backing the visitors to come out on top at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag is now out of the building and Van Nistelrooy helped United to a 5-2 win against Leicester City in the EFL Cup in midweek, but this is still his predecessor’s team. United were badly coached for much of Ten Hag’s tenure and not enough time has passed for that to have changed.

Whether or not Maresca turns out to be a success at Chelsea or not, no one could accuse him of lacking an idea about how he wants his team to play. The Blues impressed in that narrow defeat by Liverpool at Anfield, and they will not shirk away from the challenge awaiting them at Old Trafford.

True, Chelsea do not look completely convincing defensively, but the same criticism can be leveled at United. And while it is true to say the home crowd will be fully behind Van Nistelrooy and the team, that alone is not enough to win soccer matches.

Chelsea are in a better place than United right now and we expect that to be evident on the pitch this weekend.

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How to Watch Manchester United vs. Chelsea

• Teams: Manchester United vs Chelsea

• Location: Old Trafford, Manchester, England

• Date and Time: Sunday, 3 November 2024, 11.30 AM ET 

• How to Watch: USA Network