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Manchester Utd host Chelsea on Thursday knowing defeat would all-but end any distant hopes they may have of a top-four finish this season.
Thomas Tuchel’s side, meanwhile, have essentially confirmed a Champions League spot and after some unconvincing performances in recent weeks will be looking to build confidence and form ahead of their FA Cup final with Liverpool next month.
Thursday 28th April: Man Utd v Chelsea
TV: Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Premier League
Kick-off: 7.45pm
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Chelsea to win
Chelsea have become incredibly unpredictable since the international break, conceding four against both Arsenal and Brentford in surprising home defeats and effectively handing Real Madrid passage to the last four of the Champions League with a disastrous home performance.
However, they also won impressively at the Bernabeu and thumped Southampton 6-0 in an impressive away win, while they also saw off a strong Crystal Palace side to book their place in the FA Cup final. On Thursday night, they face a Manchester United side that has been consistently awful over the past two months.
United have won just one of their five league games since the international break, going down to heavy defeats at Liverpool and Arsenal after embarrassingly losing to relegation-threatened Everton. Their only win in the last month came in an unconvincing fashion against a Norwich side almost certainly heading for the Championship.
Defeat on Thursday will guarantee that United will finish with their lowest points tally in the Premier League era, eclipsing the 64 points they won under David Moyes. With Chelsea showing far more consistency away from Stamford Bridge, it is hard to see anything other than a United defeat on Thursday.
Both teams to score
United have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven Premier League games, managing just one shut out in their last 11 games in all competitions. Any side with a remotely competent attack has found it incredibly easy to pick them apart in recent months and Chelsea should be no different on Thursday night.
At the other end, Chelsea have hardly been watertight themselves.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have conceded 13 goals in seven games in all competitions since the international break.
Granted, they conceded most of those goals at Stamford Bridge in uncharacteristically sloppy displays, but they have failed to match the defensive solidity they displayed in Tuchel’s first half-season.
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Chelsea to have six or more shots on target
It is no real mystery why United’s defence has been so porous this season. The Red Devils have faced a whopping 164 shots on target in the league this season at a rate of 4.82 per game – the seventh-highest average in the division.
They faced a combined 28 shots and 12 shots on target in their last two games against Liverpool and Arsenal and face a Chelsea side with the third-highest average in the league in terms of shots on target.
Chelsea average almost five shots on target per game in the league this season and have recorded 36 efforts on goal in their last six games in all competitions at a rate of six per game.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see them match that six-game average against a United side that practically invites the opposition to have a pop.
Mason Mount anytime assist
Mason Mount has established himself as Chelsea’s most creative player in recent months. The English midfielder currently leads the Chelsea assist chart with nine to his name in the Premier League this season, three more than Reece James in second.
Mount has registered six assists in his last nine Chelsea appearances and should fancy his chances of making that seven in ten on Thursday night.
He averages 1.7 key passes per game in the league – the highest average at Chelsea alongside Callum Hudson Odoi and Ben Chilwell.
He should cause havoc against a chaotic Manchester United defence.
Man Utd v Chelsea Bet Builder tips
Chelsea to win
Both teams to score
Chelsea to have six or more shots on target
Mason Mount anytime assist
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