Manchester United vs Chelsea Prediction for 21 September 2025 - Football

🔊 Are Manchester United serious contenders for anything this season? The upcoming match might just provide the answer. On September 20, the Red Devils will host Chelsea. Despite a challenging Champions League trip to Munich, the Londoners arrive at Old Trafford as favorites. Will they live up to that status, or will Ruben Amorim's side finally deliver a convincing performance and secure their first major victory of the season? Let's delve into it.

Head-to-Head

📊 Since the 2020/21 season, the teams have only faced each other in the Premier League, with neither side holding a clear advantage during this period. Manchester United and Chelsea have each secured two wins (all by narrow margins) and have drawn six times. The most common scoreline is 1-1, recorded on four occasions.

Manchester United Team Overview

Last season, Manchester United typically performed well in matches following an international break. Fans were hopeful that this trend would continue, especially with Ruben Amorim exuding optimism ahead of the clash with Man City. However, the derby brought no such luck. The Red Devils dominated possession but spent much of the time aimlessly passing the ball around, ultimately suffering a heavy defeat (0-3). Based on the chances they created, they should have found the net, but the loss was fully deserved. As a result, United have collected just four points from their first four matches, marking their worst start since the 1992/93 season. It seems they can't sink any lower, barring a drop to the Championship, which is certainly not something we wish for such a storied club.

Chelsea Team Overview

The Londoners dropped points twice in their first four matches, which is quite a lot for a team aiming for a top-four finish. Nevertheless, their unbeaten run stretched back to June, following a loss to Flamengo (1-3) during the victorious Club World Cup for the Blues. However, this streak was halted midweek when Chelsea traveled to Munich for a Champions League clash. Enzo Maresca attempted to deploy the same strategy that secured a win over PSG (3-0), but replicating that success proved elusive as his side succumbed to Vincent Kompany's high-pressing machine (1-3). If not for Robert Sánchez, the scoreline could have been even more lopsided.

Latest news

Manchester United

🎙 Ruben Amorim has absolved his players of any blame for the Manchester derby defeat: "I didn't see a single player not giving their all. Everything else is on me. I get emotional when I believe we can achieve more. Sometimes I let those emotions show, and other times I immediately focus on the next game. We can certainly play better, but that responsibility is entirely mine," the coach stated.

🤝 Despite a disappointing start to the season, Ruben Amorim retains the backing of the management, according to Fabrizio Romano. Meanwhile, Manchester Evening News reports that those close to the Portuguese coach are surprised that his position remains secure.

❌ Lisandro Martinez, Mason Mount, Diogo Dalot, and Matheus Cunha missed the last matchday. All four are unlikely to feature against Chelsea, although they are nearing a return to action.

Chelsea

🎙 "Overall, I think the performance was good, but not throughout the entire game. A match like this demands a strong showing for the full 95 minutes, not just in parts. We managed that in certain segments, but we weren't good enough in some aspects. Sanchez, Gusto, Cole, I believe all the players performed well. On the whole, we fought quite well. Now we need to recover because we have another tough match in two days," commented Enzo Maresca on the defeat to Bayern.

🎤 Londoners' leader Cole Palmer said: "It's a disappointing loss; we deserved more. We started well, had our chances, but it's tough when you make mistakes at the highest level. We lost concentration and mishandled some situations. All three goals were conceded due to our errors. However, we showed we can compete against one of the tournament's best teams. It was a good lesson, and it's nice to be back in the Champions League. But we're not here for lessons. We demonstrated that we want to fight."

❌ Chelsea have an extensive injury list. Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, and Levi Colwill are not expected back anytime soon. Benoit Badiashile and Romeo Lavia have returned to training but won't be ready for the upcoming match. Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk continues to serve his suspension.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The match will be officiated by Peter Bankes. The English referee has overseen four matches this season, averaging 4.5 yellow cards per game, with no red cards issued.

As for the teams, Chelsea, who topped the Premier League for bookings last season, maintain their reputation. The Blues average 1.8 yellow cards per match, while Manchester United average 1.

A trip to Old Trafford presents a unique challenge for the Blues. It won't be easy for them, so we predict over 1.5 yellow cards for Chelsea. Enzo Maresca's side has surpassed this mark in 11 of their last 12 away Premier League matches.

⚽️ Goal Predictions

Manchester United have conceded seven goals in the Premier League since the start of the season, five of which came after halftime. Meanwhile, Chelsea have scored in the second half in three consecutive matches. Combining these trends leads us to predict a goal for the visitors in the second half. This bet has come through in 7 of the last 8 head-to-head encounters between the teams.

🚩 Corner Predictions

Chelsea are the top team in the Premier League for corners this season, averaging 7 per match. United are less active in this area but still post a respectable average of 5 corners per game. Therefore, it's reasonable to expect that together they will exceed over 9.5 corners. This has been the case in the last five Premier League games involving the Blues.

Undoubtedly, Chelsea are the more accomplished team at the moment. It's not just about the caliber of their players but how effectively they execute the manager's tactics on the pitch. However, the Blues have not beaten the Red Devils at Old Trafford in over a decade, and this can't be overlooked, especially considering Chelsea's fatigue following a tough midweek clash in Munich.

Taking into account the freshness of the hosts and Chelsea's recent form, having dropped points in half of their previous fixtures, we predict Manchester United will avoid defeat in the upcoming match. We lean towards a high-scoring draw, forecasting a 2-2 result, and suggest betting on both teams to score (yes)—a wager that has paid off in seven of the last eight head-to-head encounters.