Three plotlines to savour ahead of Chelsea versus Man United | OneFootball

Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge for their last away trip in the Premier League season.

There have been 196 matches between the two sides with United coming out on top in 83.

Chelsea have won 56 times and there have been 57 draws between the pair.

Here are three storylines to sink your teeth into before the Friday night trip.

Man United’s terrific recent run against Chelsea

The Red Devils have seen records tumble against numerous sides this season but Chelsea is one side they have done well against in recent years.

The BBC report that “Chelsea have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games against Manchester United (drawing eight and losing five), though it was a 4-3 victory in this exact fixture last season.”

The two sides drew 1-1 in November at Old Trafford when a Bruno Fernandes penalty was cancelled out by Moises Caicedo late on.

What’s more, United beat Chelsea 2-1 and 4-1 at Old Trafford in 2023 and before losing last year at Stamford Bridge, they had not been defeated against the Blues since 2020.

A draw can be expected

Chelsea are still fighting for Champions League spots and United players will be auditioning for a place in Ruben Amorim’s first eleven for the Europa League final.

Whilst both sides will be desperate for a win, the history of this fixture suggests it is likely to be a draw.

“Chelsea vs Manchester United is the most drawn fixture in Premier League history (27). The reverse fixture at Old Trafford this season finished 1-1, with both meetings between the sides finishing level in seven previous campaigns (1998-99, 2000-01, 2006-07, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2020-21 and 2021-22).”

This is also only the second ever Friday match between the two sides and not surprisingly, it also finished a 2-2 draw in 2002. Cole Palmer could break a record

United have faced some great strikers over the years when they have come up against Chelsea such as Didier Drogba, Andriy Shevchenko and Hernan Crespo.

Nonetheless, Palmer has scored as many goals against the Red Devils as any Chelsea player in Premier League history.

Eidur Gudjohnsen also scored four times against United during his stint at Stamford Bridge but Palmer has the chance to break this record tonight.

The England international has been far from his sparkling best in the second half of the season. Nonetheless, the United defence will still surely need to be at the top of their game to keep the boyhood United fan at bay.

Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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