Chelsea will be desperate to return to winning ways when they head to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.
Frank Lampard’ss side threw away a two-goal lead and conceded a last-minute equaliser in last weekend’s 3-3 draw at home to Southampton and were also held to a 0-0 draw by Sevilla in their opening Champions League group stage match in midweek.
United, meanwhile, arrive on a high after secured a terrific win away at PSG in their Champions League outing, having thumped Newcastle 4-1 in the league last weekend.
Lampard has painful memories of this fixture last season, which was his first in the Premier League as a manager, as his team were hammered 4-0 by a rampant United.
Like Manchester United, Chelsea’s biggest problem this season has been at the back and I expect goals from both end.
TEAM NEWS
Edinson Cavani is in contention to make his Manchester United debut and a first league appearance since featuring for Paris Saint-Germain in February.
Harry Maguire and Mason Greenwood should be available but Anthony Martial is suspended, while Eric Bailly may miss four weeks with a muscular injury.
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa is sidelined with a shoulder injury, with Billy Gilmour the only other absentee.
Hakim Ziyech could make his first start after two substitute appearances.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Manchester United can win three consecutive top-flight meetings against Chelsea for the first time since September 1965 under Sir Matt Busby.
- Chelsea are winless in their last seven Premier League away matches against Manchester United (D4, L3). It is the Blues’ longest run without a top-flight win at Old Trafford since a 16-game streak between September 1920 and January 1957.
- Chelsea are the only club to have won more Premier League fixtures (18) versus Manchester United than they have lost (17).
Manchester United
- Manchester United could lose their opening three home league matches for only the second time in their history and first since 1930, when they finished bottom of the First Division.
- United last lost three consecutive league fixtures at Old Trafford in February 1979.
- A fifth successive winless Premier League match at home would set a new club record for the competition.
- The Red Devils have gained an unsurpassed 13 points from losing positions in 2020.
- Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in 20 goals in 18 Premier League appearances, scoring 11 and setting up nine. It’s the best return of any United player since his debut in February.
- Marcus Rashford has scored four goals in his past three games against Chelsea in all competitions, including a brace in this fixture last season.
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won four of his six matches as Manchester United manager against Chelsea (D1, L1).
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Chelsea
- Chelsea have drawn four of their eight matches in all competitions this season (W3, L1).
- They won five of their opening six Premier League away fixtures under Frank Lampard, but have triumphed in only five of the subsequent 15 (D4, L6).
- The Blues have conceded 63 goals in 43 Premier League matches under Lampard at an average of 1.5 goals per game – the worst rate of any permanent Blues boss.
- Chelsea have let in a league-high 42 away goals since the start of last season.
- In 2020, only Arsenal (15) have dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League than Chelsea’s 13.
- Timo Werner has scored 30 league goals since the start of last season, a record only bettered in Europe’s top five leagues by Robert Lewandowski, Ciro Immobile and Cristiano Ronaldo.
PREDICTION: 2-1
