Opta supercomputer predicts whether Chelsea will beat Manchester United

Chelsea are looking to bounce back from their defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur when they take on Manchester United this Saturday.

On Wednesday night, Xabi Alonso’s side were eliminated from the Carabao Cup after losing to Liverpool on penalties. Last weekend, they also lost 2-0 to their fierce rivals Tottenham in the Premier League.

Ultimately, they are not in good form right now, but neither are Michael Carrick’s side. United have won just one league game all season and were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth last time out.

It is no surprise, then, that Opta analyst’s supercomputer has made Chelsea the clear favourites for this contest. It has given the Blues a 51.8% chance of winning, while United have only been handed a 23.7% probability.

With Joao Pedro still injured, Alonso will be relying on Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers even more. Palmer has served his suspension for his red card against Tottenham following the Liverpool game, so he will be expected to line up alongside Rogers in attack.

Last season, Rogers really punished United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with two brilliant strikes, so Alonso will be hoping for more of the same. Chelsea will not be as dangerous without Pedro, but United will have to be wary of the overall threat the Blues carry.

Alonso’s men are currently scoring 2.1 goals per game, which puts them in the top three, as per FotMob. They are also in the top three for shots on target per game with an average of 5.4. Chelsea’s issues have come in defence and midfield, so there will be scope for United to get at them with their own attacking power.

But if Chelsea can hold them off and be clinical, they should be able to win all three points and pile even more misery on Carrick.