Chelsea v Manchester United: Fireworks in Prospect for Sunday’s clash

It’s probably no coincidence that the live TV broadcasters have chosen November the 5th to show this game. Chelsea v Manchester United will always produce plenty of fireworks but with Jose Mourinho returning to Stamford Bridge and his old club, it’s going to be even more explosive.

United have made the better start to the new Premier League season but Chelsea are capable of beating any side, particularly on their own ground, so what do the bookies make of this one?

Match Odds

We’ve a predictably tight market here and it’s one where Chelsea are slightly ahead at an industry best price of 31/20 with MarathonBet. Victory for Manchester United comes in at a best of 11/5 with bet365 and Betway while the draw is on offer at 9/4 with SportingBet and BetFred.

Immediately the draw jumps out as an option for two strong sides that look evenly matched and certainly neither will want to lose this game. Form just edges towards Manchester United with four wins from their last five as opposed to Chelsea’s three but United’s one defeat in that period was a shock 2-1 reverse at the hands of lowly Huddersfield.

A share of the points is a good option but before we confirm it or otherwise, let’s take a look at the players on either side who can decide the fate of the match.

Individual Goal Scorers

There are two hot strikers on either side but it may be a surprise to see Chelsea’s Alvaro Morata as favourite to open the scoring at a top price of 43/10 with MarathonBet. The Spaniard enjoyed a productive start to his career in West London, scoring on his debut against Burnley but a brief spell on the sidelines following an injury seems to have stopped his flow.

A better option could therefore be to look at Romelu Lukaku who started in even more prolific fashion for Manchester United. The Belgian striker is on offer at a best of 9/2 with MarathonBet to find the net first while his teammate Anthony Martial is running into form and may be a decent option at a tempting top price of 7/1 with 888Sport and Unibet.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard is a regular pick for us and he is listed at best odds of 13/2 with Boylesports to open the scoring but we tend to prefer the anytime option where the midfielder is at 45/17 with Unibet and 888Sport for a goal in 90 minutes.

Other interesting options in the anytime market include Jesse Lingaard at 51/10 with Unibet and Juan Mata at 11/2 with 888Sport while Chelsea’s David Luiz continues to underline his threat from set pieces and can be claimed at an excellent best price of 16/1 with Sun Bets.

Other Side Bets

Chelsea have scored in all but one of their last five games and the only shut-out came in the week as Conte’s men went down to Roma. Prior to that, they managed 10 goals in four games while United have found the net in each of their last five matches, scoring seven in the process.

The defences should be tighter on Sunday but the popular Both Teams to Score bet looks good based on those stats and it comes in at reasonable best odds of Even Money with Sun Bets and 10Bet. Other likely punts might include over 2.5 goals which is quoted at 34/25 with MarathonBet while a winning margin of one goal to either side is available at a top price of 5/4 with Betway.

The result is much harder to determine and while United are the form team and have made a better start to the season, Chelsea have the home advantage and are capable of converting as match favourites. The clincher for us is Manchester United’s ability to get over the line in big games – a quality they displayed again as they edged past Spurs last weekend.

It’s a tight one to call but we’ll back the away win and hope that this and the remaining side bets will add up to an enjoyable and profitable 90 minutes.

Best Bets

• Manchester United to win at 11/5 with bet365
• Both Teams to Score at Even Money with Sun Bets
• Winning Margin of one goal at 5/4 with Betway