Will van Nistelrooy bring back success to Old Trafford?

It’s been official since Friday: Ruben Amorim is the new Manchester United manager. The English record champions are using the Portuguese coach’s release clause and transferring ten million euros to Sporting Lisbon to secure the 39-year-old’s services. However, Amorim will not yet be able to influence the Manchester United vs. Chelsea tip on Sunday, because his term of office as ten Hag’s successor does not begin until November 11.
In the important home game on Sunday afternoon against the Blues from London, Ruud van Nistelrooy will once again take a seat on the bench of the reigning FA Cup winner. The legendary striker already led his club into the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup with a spectacular 5-2 win over Leicester City during the week and will once again provide his team with an offensive game plan for the 10th matchday of the Premier League. Consequently, a prediction on over-goals must be considered between Manchester United and Chelsea.

Meanwhile, the fact that the guests from the capital have a very dangerous offense and, as a young team, are themselves looking for a way to get to the top in no time, also suggests that the game at Old Trafford, which is not at all worthy of the title of top game in the table, will be a game with plenty of goals.

Manchester United – Statistics & current form

Manchester United have had a forgettable season so far. Anyone who thought that the record champions had already hit a low point in recent years is currently being proven wrong. In the Europa League group stage, the “Red Devils” have had to share points three times after three matchdays, and in the Premier League, they have only recorded three wins after nine matches. Fourteenth place, twelve points behind city rivals and league leaders Manchester City, is the logical consequence.

The 2-1 defeat at West Ham United the previous week was the last straw, and head coach Erik ten Hag was dismissed. Former professional van Nistelrooy was therefore on the sidelines for the EFL Cup last sixteen tie on Wednesday evening, coaching his team to a liberating 5-2 win over Leicester City.

Four of these five goals were scored in the first half, during which one could get the feeling that the recently harmless “Red Devils” had finally been “let off the leash”. If, eight days ago, I had been betting on the away team to win the Manchester United v Chelsea match, the change in the situation now means that I am steering clear of a three-way bet.

Will van Nistelrooy bring the ease back to Manchester?

Admittedly, it seems quite risky to aim for high goals after 90 minutes between Manchester United and Chelsea, as the 14th-placed team, with eight goals scored in nine games, has one of the most harmless offenses in the league. However, the aforementioned change of coach will definitely go hand in hand with an adjusted playing style with more courage to take risks and more attacking urge.

Apart from that, it should be noted that Höjlund, Zirkzee and Co. have so far undercut the xG value by 6.8 goals. So it’s not a lack of chances, but a lack of effective conversion. With the new-found self-confidence under the former world-class striker, that should change, especially since there is no lack of individual quality in the record champions. Van Nistelrooy will be desperate to make an impression in his second of four matches in charge, with Amorim not taking charge until November 11, and will therefore be looking to get all three points. However, he has little choice in the matter, as another defeat would see the Red Devils lose sight of a place in the European spots.

Chelsea – Statistics & current form

It is quite impressive how quickly Enzo Maresca has managed to stabilize Chelsea FC and steer them back into calmer waters. With a remarkable record of five wins, two draws and two defeats, the capital club is currently in fifth place and in direct contention for the Champions League spots. Although the Blues were knocked out by Newcastle with a B-team in the EFL Cup during the week, their development curve continues to point upwards from week to week.

Wilde Blues want to confirm strong away form

It is also clear that the former Cup Winners’ Cup winner is still far from reaching his full potential. After all, with an average age of just over 23, the Londoners have by far the youngest starting eleven in the Premier League. In the 2-1 league win against Newcastle United last week, not a single player who had reached the age of 25 was in the starting lineup.

Unsurprisingly, the youthful exuberance or “childish” recklessness also leads to certain fluctuations in performance. On the one hand, the Blues have the second-best offense in England with 19 goals. On the other hand, however, they have also conceded 11 goals. If we look at the goals scored in opposing stadiums, it can be seen that no other team has a better away offense than the Maresca team, which has scored 11 times and won three of its four previous PL appearances.

Cole Palmer, who has been involved in 33 (!) goals for his club in the calendar year 2024 (21 goals, 12 assists), deserves a special mention in this regard. He scored against United in both legs of the previous season and we are therefore checking the betting odds for a Palmer goal between Manchester United and Chelsea, as well as the prices for Nicolas Jackson scoring again. In his last two PL games, Jackson scored, so the 2.87 in the Bet365 app is definitely worth taking.

Manchester United – Chelsea Head to head / H2H record

Manchester has now had eleven home games in the Premier League United have not lost to Chelsea FC (5-6-0). For the first time for over half a century, the Red Devils could even win three league matches in their own stadium against the Londoners in a row. At the last direct duel in April of this year, however, will still be many like to remember. With two goals in injury time, the the Blues won 4-3 at Stamford Bridge. A similar Spectacle does not seem to be out of the question on Sunday afternoon either.

Manchester United – Chelsea Tip

In the long history of the English Premier League, there is no pairing in which there have been more draws than between Manchester United and Chelsea. If you want to bet on the next draw between the former CL winners, you can download the Oddset app to get the top odds of 3.80.

However, my preferred approach is not to place a bet on the three-way market, but instead to predict the number of goals. There is much to suggest that it will be a lively encounter. With Van Nistelrooy, a former striker who has done his boys good since the dismissal of ten Hag, is on the bench for United. Meanwhile, the young Blues team is known for its spectacle and sometimes wild style of play.

I therefore recommend betting on Over 3.5 goals at odds of 2.04 between Manchester United and Chelsea. I choose six units as my stake and also argue that United won 5-2 in the first match under van Nistelrooy and that the Londoners, with already eleven goals in four PL away games, have the best away offense in the league.