Manchester United vs. Chelsea Soccer Odds & Betting Preview

Chelsea won the whole English Premier League a year ago, but things haven’t gone so well for them this year, as they have only won twice in EPL play since the start of 2018. They did win the home match against Manchester United back in November, with Alvaro Morata’s goal standing up for a 1-0 win. However, if Chelsea can’t deliver another win at Old Trafford on Sunday, they could find themselves falling into fifth in the table, as Tottenham Hotspur faces Crystal Palace in a winnable match. Check out our soccer betting preview of this crucial EPL matchup.

Manchester United vs. Chelsea Soccer Odds & Betting Preview

Next up for the Blues… pic.twitter.com/SzxzghXGdn

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 22, 2018

When: Sunday, February 25, 2018, 9:05am ET Where: Old Trafford, Manchester TV: NBC Sports Radio: None Live Stream: NBCSports.com Soccer Betting Odds: Manchester United 11/10, Chelsea 13/5, Draw 9/4

Why should you put your money on Chelsea?

We saw both the good and the bad of Chelsea’s team in their Champions League draw against Barcelona on Tuesday. They controlled the pace in the early going, turning the pitch into a slow grind. The strategy favored Chelsea, but they could not convert, as Willian banged two shots off the woodwork that would have blown the game open, but the unforgiving post left the game scoreless at halftime. After the intermission, Willian would finally score after a short corner kick, finding a low corner shot. However, at that point the Barcelona attack woke up, and they found a weak link in Andreas Christensen that would open up the Chelsea defense. A mistake by Christensen, followed by a mistake by Cesc Fabregas, led to a counterattack that Lionel Messi would finish off with a goal after Christensen made a dreadful read. So in a game that Chelsea dominated for most of the way, it just took one bad sequence for them to end up settling for a draw that actually favors Barcelona going into the second leg of this round of Champions League play. If you like Chelsea against Man U, then you think Chelsea can keep control of the match all the way through — and that Man U won’t find a similar weakness on Chelsea’s back line.

Why should you bet on Manchester United?

Manchester United went to Sevilla on Wednesday in Champions League play and came away with a 0-0 draw, thanks to brilliant goaltending by David De Gea. The rest of the team, though, looked awful as Sevilla was able to dominate the action of the match. Sevilla poured 25 shots toward De Gea’s net, and although Romalu Lukaku put a shot in the goal for Manchester United late, it was taken away for a handball. The inability of Man U to generate any chances against a Sevilla team that it should have been able to score upon with some ease does not bode well for their home tilt against Chelsea. They only have four days to get back on track for Chelsea — and it is fortunate that Chelsea does not have the speed up front to mount a dominating attack. If you like Manchester United, you see them holding off Chelsea’s middling offense and finding cracks in the back, much like Barcelona did. I’m not sure, though, that Man U has the same offensive fortitude that Barcelona showed in that match.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I see Manchester United putting up some spirited opposition after such a lame effort against Sevilla on Wednesday, but I also see Chelsea’s grinding style moving the rhythm in their direction for the balance of the game. Chelsea should have better luck with the woodwork this time around, but they won’t be able to keep United from finding the back of the net either. I predict a final score of Chelsea 1, Manchester United 1.