Manchester United is looking to return to winning ways following a tumultuous start to their 2026-27 Premier League season against Chelsea on October 31 (Saturday). The Red Devils’ 7 points from the 8 opening games have been their worst start to the league in nearly 40 years, and the pressure is slowly building up on manager Michael Carrick.
United’s last and only league win came way back on August 30, when they defeated Ipswich Town 5-2 at Old Trafford. Since then, Carrick’s team have largely been on the losing side. Amid this, United face Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea, who have been decent this season but haven’t been consistent or convincing either, thanks to defensive struggles, with 4 wins, 3 losses and a draw in their 8 games.
With both teams eagerly looking for a win, this game is supposed to be a mouth-watering Premier League clash. Both teams have played an aggressive out-of-possession football this season, but have had contrasting caveats. While the Red Devils have failed to amplify their offensive production, the Blues have lacked defensive tenacity. Now, it will be important to see who makes the first strike on Saturday in their bid to get their season back on track.
Last 5 Games
Chelsea tipped off their season quite strongly under their new manager. The Blues clinched two straight wins in their opening games against Fulham and Brighton. But since then, they haven’t been able to produce a similar consistency. The Blues lost a crucial game against arch-rivals Arsenal by a narrow 1-2 margin. They conceded a draw against Hull City at home only to face a 0-3 humiliation in Brentford’s den.
Alonso’s team did bounce back with straight wins against Bournemouth and Everton, but again lost to London rivals Tottenham 0-2 at Stamford Bridge, who exposed their defensive inconsistencies yet again.
Manchester United’s start to the season has been in shambles. The Red Devils lost their opening fixture 0-2 against Hull City. They returned to winning ways with a win against Ipswich Town, but their next six games yielded just four points for them. They recorded a 2-2 away draw against Everton but lost to city rivals, Manchester City, 0-1 despite the latter playing with 10 men. United’s next three games ended with a 1-1 scoreline against Fulham, Tottenham, and Leeds.
However, the team’s most humiliating loss of the season came in their last game, where they lost 0-3 at Old Trafford against Bournemouth.
Chelsea: 5th
- Loss: 0-2 vs Tottenham
- Win: 2-0 vs Everton
- Win: 5-1 vs Bournemouth
- Loss: 0-3 vs Brentford
- Draw: 2-2 vs Hull City
Manchester United: 16th
- Loss: 0-3 vs Bournemouth
- Draw: 1-1 vs Leeds United
- Draw: 1-1 vs Tottenham
- Draw: 1-1 vs Fulham
- Loss: 0-1 vs Manchester City
Team News
Chelsea has major positive news ahead of their clash with United. Cole Palmer is returning to the squad after his suspension in the EFL game against Chelsea. But one of the team’s most formidable goalscorers, Joao Pedro, who has scored 5 goals and 3 assists in 6 league games, will be missing the game owing to a thigh issue. Besides, the Blues will also miss the likes of Emiliano Martinez and Reece James against United.
Manchester United will miss an array of players in the Chelsea game as well. Reports suggest that Kobbie Mainoo can be back in the squad for the Chelsea game after resuming training with the team, while Marcus Rashford can also potentially return after missing the Bournemouth game. But the situation around both these players is still in doubt. Meanwhile, Benjamin Sesko (knee) and Luke Shaw will be among the players who will definitely miss the Chelsea game on Saturday.
Possible Lineups
Manchester United:
Senne Lammens, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, Diego Dalot, Andrey Santos, Amad Diallo, Youri Tielemans, Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo
Chelsea:
Mike Penders, Joshua Acheampong, Maxence Lacroix, Levi Colwill, Pedro Neto, Moises Caicedo, Jordan Henderson, Jorrel Hato, Estevao Willian, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers
Head-to-Head
Chelsea and Manchester United have shared one of the fiercest rivalries in the Premier League’s history. Tracing back to Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho’s time, United-Chelsea contests were truly a spectacle to watch. Across history and all competitions, United and Chelsea have faced each other 195 times.
The Red Devils have had a definite edge in these meetups and have clinched 83 wins against the West London club. The Blues currently trail with 57 wins, while 55 of them have ended in draws. In the last five games between the two, the results have been at par though, with both teams taking 2 wins each and sharing a draw.
Last season, United have been the more dominant side, clinching a 2-1 win at Old Trafford and a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge in hard-fought games. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s last win over the Red Devils was back in the 2024-25 season, when they defeated United 1-0 at Old Trafford on May 17. Marc Cucurella scored the winning goal for the Blues off a Reece James assist in the 71st minute of the game.
Where Will the Game Be Decided?
For Manchester United, the game’s result will largely depend on their offense. In the 2026-27 season, United have been able to control possession for long stretches in the game but without any potential damage to the opponent. They haven’t been able to produce more and more line-breaking passes that can open up the opposition’s defense. This is where United will need to improve, and the most important player to do this will be Bruno Fernandes.
Notably, Fernandes scored a hat-trick last time when United won a game in the Premier League and will be crucial in the game against Chelsea as well on Saturday.
On the other hand, Chelsea need to work on their defense to counter United. So far in the season, the Blues have been able to keep just one clean sheet in 8 games, which was against Everton. Notably, even against struggling teams like Tottenham, Chelsea’s defense has folded quite easily. This is where Levi Colwill and Joshua Acheampong need to step up against United. In Joao Pedro’s absence, Cole Palmer will be the key in the attacking third as well.
Prediction
Manchester United has been going through an immensely poor run of form with defeats against Bournemouth and Como in the last few games. Even their manager Michael Carrick is in the hot seat for the game, with a lot of eyes on him to somehow turn the season around. But given their consistent underwhelming performances in the last few games, they are nowhere going as favorites to win the game.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has been somewhat better than the Red Devils this season. While the Blues have struggled defensively, they have fired on the offensive end, scoring 17 goals in 8 games so far. Even at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have performed quite well, conceding just one defeat in the season so far.
Thus, to clinch a win against Chelsea at home with such a poor run of form won’t be easy for United. As a result, the Blues will be highly favoured to clinch a win on Saturday.
Our Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United
Odds
- Chelsea win: 53% (1.83)
- Draw: 21% (3.80)
- Manchester United win: 26% (4.0)
Sources from Bet365 suggest that Chelsea is highly favoured to win the contest, providing safer odds in the market. The given market suggests that a specified amount on Chelsea will return 1.83x in the current market, while the same amount on United will yield 4x because of their lower chances.
Kickoff Time
The game kicks off at 12:30 PM GMT at Stamford Bridge, London, on Saturday. Peter Bankes will be the match referee, along with assistants Gary Beswick and Blake Antrobus. Meanwhile, James Bell will be on VAR duty with assistant Tim Wood.
