Chelsea vs Manchester United: Carrick's United Chase Third Straight Win Over Xabi Alonso's Hosts
by Geoffrey Ejiga | by Geoffrey Ejiga
Two Damaging Weeks for Both Sides
Chelsea's form has unravelled over the past fortnight. Xabi Alonso's men beat Bournemouth 5-1 and kept a clean sheet at Everton in back-to-back wins in Gameweeks 6 and 7, but the last week has torn that run apart.
A flat 0-2 home defeat to Tottenham last Sunday in the Premier League was followed by a Carabao Cup exit against Liverpool, where Chelsea lost 5-6 in a penalty shootout.
The injury to first-choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, stretchered off at Goodison Park with a head injury in Gameweek 7, has left 20-year-old Mike Penders between the posts.
This will also be Chelsea's third match in seven days. Still, it’s looking worse at the other end.
United sits 16th with seven points, six adrift of Chelsea in fifth. The sole league victory came in Gameweek 2, featuring a 5-2 rout of Ipswich in which Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick.
Since then, four draws and two defeats have followed, and was capped by a 0-3 home loss to Bournemouth. In the Champions League, an opening-night 4-0 win over Sabah was sharply followed by away defeats to Atletico Madrid (0-2) and Como (1-4).
Carrick has more time to prepare for this one, with six days since United's last match. But will it count? Find out in our expert’s Chelsea vs Manchester United prediction.
Key Players Missing at Both Ends
Chelsea will be without their top scorer Joao Pedro, whose five league goals have been central to Alonso's attack this season. A thigh injury keeps the Brazilian out, and Chelsea will need to reorganise up front.
Morgan Rogers, signed from Aston Villa for a British-record £117 million in the summer, has four goals and an assist from eight matches and will shoulder more of the creative load alongside Cole Palmer.
Pedro Neto, who scored twice at Everton, and Jordan Henderson, who netted two in the Gameweek 6 thrashing of Bournemouth, offer alternative threats.
However, Reece James is still ruled out following knee surgery. What’s more:
- United are missing Benjamin Sesko, whose shin injury is expected to sideline him for a prolonged spell.
- Marcus Rashford is a doubt with a hip complaint, and
- Patrick Dorgu is unavailable with a hamstring problem.
Bryan Mbeumo, who has four goals since arriving from Brentford, is likely to operate as a makeshift striker.
Carrick Holds the Recent Record
United have won both Premier League meetings with Chelsea in 2025-26. They beat Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford in September 2025, and followed that with a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge last April.
That gives Carrick's squad some psychological advantage that their league placing does not reflect.
Going back further, results between the sides have been close. Chelsea won 1-0 at home in May 2025, and the sides drew 1-1 at Old Trafford in November 2024. The fixture at Stamford Bridge in April 2024, when Cole Palmer scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 Chelsea win, remains the most electric encounter of the last three seasons.
United's Shot Volume Has Not Translated Into Goals
The gap between United's chance creation and their scoring output defines their campaign so far.
Carrick's side lead the Premier League with an average of 19.38 shots per game, yet they have converted that volume into just 10 goals from eight matches.
Against Leeds, Tottenham and Fulham they had the better of the play but came away with draws each time. In the Bournemouth defeat, they managed 21 shots without eventually finding the net.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have conceded 15 goals in eight league matches, though they did record their first clean sheet in nine months at Everton in Gameweek 7. Their home record currently reads two wins, a draw and a defeat from four matches at Stamford Bridge, with eight goals conceded.
With both sides missing their first-choice striker, this could come down to their performance in the final third.
