Chelsea vs. Manchester United and Pick to Win
Date:Sunday, April 16th, 2017
Where: English Premier League Old Trafford Manchester, UK
by Keith, Professional Soccer/Football Handicapper, Predictem
Match Odds: Chelsea 2/1, Manchester United 7/4, Draw 23/10
Moneyline: Chelsea +200, Manchester United +175, Draw +230
Over/Under Best Market: UNDER 2 11/10 (+110)
Jose Mourinho will once again square off with his former squad Chelsea this time in the confines of Old Trafford. Chelsea is a team that Jose won numerous English Premier League titles with. Seemingly, the Blues are on track to do the same without their former skippers presence in the 2016-17 campaign as they sit at the top of the table with a comfortable seven point lead, Mourinho will curate the hosting duties and is at the helm of a fierce rival from the Football Capital of England, Manchester United. This contest is a huge rivalry game pitting London against Manchester, the North against the South, between arguably the two greatest teams in English football history. Chelsea won the last meeting between the two at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United is in a position to finish this season with a bang. Another edition of the Manchester Derby is looming and a win here for the Reds will give them momentum heading in to that encounter, most significantly for Mourinho. Despite rumors that huge acquisition Zlatan Ibrahimovic is moving on to greener pastures, Ibra has been scoring like a machine throughout the campaign. The Devils cannot say the same for acquired superstar forward Paul Pogba, who has failed to live up to the price paid for his services so far. Currently the Red Devils sit four points out of fourth place in the English Premier League table with 57 points. Man U comes in off a 3-0 win against Sunderland in EPL play.
Needless to say, the Blues are the talk of the English Premier League as they have re-emerged in their stellar and champion form after suffering a chaotic state of affairs that swept through North London last year. Despite there being utter disarray for the organization, Chelsea has rebounded with authority and have sit atop the table for all of 2017. Its especially incredible to perceive given the fact, Chelsea was lifted out of a position where they sat at fifteenth at one point last year in the English Premier League table. The Blues are known for home pitch advantage at Stamford Bridge. The bad news is that they have to play at The Theatre of Dreams, a place where Manchester United has a distinct advantage over their southern counterparts and many other clubs for that matter.
Betting markets are very sharp in contests of this caliber and thus Chelsea is priced as the dog in this contest when all things are considered and weighed. Manchester United on paper might have the better team but they certainly have the better venue overall in this situation as Chelsea could be a hazard outside of London. Let us not forget that Chelsea was drawn at Turf Moor, when they were stalemated by bottom-feeder Burnley who also fostered a significant home pitch advantage. We would be remiss to also mention that Chelsea fell on the road at Crystal Palace in what was the shocker of the season when Palace defeated the Blues 2-1 in Selhurst. In such a difficult environment such as Manchester, it is not unimaginable for the Blues to fall here as well. In terms of Over/Unders, Manchester United likes to play small ball and clamp down against elite teams. Given the fact the last fixture resulted in only goal being scored, we recommend the Under 2.0 in Over/Under markets in this contest as it offers an above-evens return in what will likely be a nip and tuck affair. Ultimately, Man United at home bodes the most value and in taking this proposition, we stand to net 2.85 units if the Red Devils defeat Chelsea at home on Sunday and the Over/Under hits. Late action on Chelsea suggests that Man U may offer more of a yield if the steam continues to roll in on the Blues at their current price.
Chelsea Recent Form
W Bournemouth 3-1
W Manchester City 2-1
L Crystal Palce 1-2
W Stoke City 2-1
W Manchester United 1-0
Manchester United Recent Form
W Sunderland 3-0
D Everton 1-1
D West Bromwich Albion 0-0
W Middlesbrough 3-1
W FK Rostov 1-0
Keith’s Prediction for the Game: MANCHESTER UNITED 7/4 +175 and NO OVER/UNDER
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