Overview
While the Premier League title race between Arsenal and Manchester City continuously dominates the media at the end of the season, the battle for a Champions League spot is even more dramatic.
Currently, there are 4 teams - Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea - fiercely competing for a spot to participate in the most prestigious tournament in Europe. The fact that fifth place is also guaranteed a Champions League spot makes all 4 teams somewhat easier.
Man United still holds an advantage in the race for the highest ranking in the last 3 seasons, despite just suffering a 1-2 defeat to Leeds United.
Noah Okafor's double in the first half was decisive, in the context that the "Red Devils" made it difficult for themselves when Lisandro Martinez received a direct red card after snatching Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair.
Casemiro's late goal to narrow the score - his eighth goal this season (the best achievement in his Premier League career), and also the sixth assist by Bruno Fernandes - was still not enough to help Man United create a comeback.
Man United is still predicted to finish the season in third place with a probability of 38.6%. However, the possibility of them finishing in fourth place (35.0%) or fifth place (17.3%) is still entirely possible.
The defeat to Leeds caused Man United to lose two of their last 4 matches in all competitions (1 win, 1 draw), after only losing two of their previous 22 matches (12 wins, 8 draws).
Despite experiencing a season of many upheavals, Michael Carrick's team has never lost 2 consecutive matches in the Premier League this season. Notably, they are one of the two rare teams - along with Arsenal - to maintain this stability.
In the opposite direction, Chelsea is sinking into a series of disappointing forms. Liam Rosenior's team entered the weekend match after three consecutive defeats in the Premier League, most recently the 0-3 defeat to Manchester City.
Previously, Chelsea successively succumbed 0-3 to Everton, 0-1 to Newcastle United, interspersed with a 0-3 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, thereby officially being eliminated from the Champions League.
Notably, The Blues have not won and have not scored in the Premier League since the 4-1 victory over Aston Villa in early March.
This poor streak of matches has significantly reduced their chances of entering the top 5. Opta predicts Chelsea are likely to finish in sixth place with a probability of 23.7%.
In the 21st century, Chelsea has only lost once in 4 consecutive matches - the period from April to May 2023 under Frank Lampard. They have also never experienced a 4-match losing streak without scoring since 1998, coinciding with a home defeat to Man United.
Although Man United's performance is not too negative, their defense is leaving many concerns. This team has only kept a clean sheet in 1 of their last 21 away games in the Premier League.
Head-to-head record
The confrontations between Chelsea and Man United have witnessed a total of 27 draws - more than any other match in the history of the league.
Notably, most of these draws have goals. Only 7/27 matches ended with a score of 0-0, making this the match with the most draws with goals in the tournament, with 20 times.
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea showed overwhelming dominance, losing only 1 of their last 12 Premier League games against Man United (6 wins, 5 draws). The London team is also aiming for their third consecutive home win against the "Red Devils", something they have never done since April 2006.
In the opposite direction, Man United aims to complete a double victory against Chelsea in the season, after winning 2-1 in the first leg. The last time they did this was in the 2019-2020 season.
Score prediction: Chelsea 2-2 Man United
The match between Chelsea and Man United takes place at 2:00 AM on April 19 (Vietnam time).
