The Dugout Discussion – Chelsea vs Manchester United

Gameweek 25 refuses to leave quietly, as Chelsea and Manchester collide at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are unbeaten under the stewardship of Guus Hiddink, winning three matches and drawing five. As for the Red Devils, their 3-0 win over Stoke City last Gameweek arguably represented their best display of the season.

Chelsea produced middling stats on the attacking front across the last four Gameweeks, notching six goals, the eighth-most attempts (52) and joint-sixth-most big chances (seven). It was a similar story for their backline, which conceded five goals and 27 shots inside the box. Man United will hope to profit from the fact that only Everton have conceded more goals at home (22) than Chelsea (19), who also rank joint-fourth for big chances surrendered (22) on familiar soil.

Only three teams tallied fewer attempts (42) than Man United over the last four Gameweeks, yet they still managed to record seven goals and the joint-third-most big chances (eight). Notwithstanding the criticism they’ve fielded for adopting a safety-first approach, the Red Devils place third for big chances (25) and joint-fifth for goals scored in road matches (16), suggesting that Chelsea will do well to record a third successive shut-out.