Manchester United visit Chelsea in the Premier League's early kick-off, with manager Michael Carrick expected to remain in charge for the fixture. However, all six pundits surveyed by MEN Sport predict a Chelsea victory, piling pressure on the United boss.
Pundits Unanimously Back Chelsea
Former Liverpool and England striker Peter Crouch, speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, backed a Chelsea win, saying: "It was a strange one with Chelsea, mad one. I didn’t see that coming. It will be interesting; at the time of recording, Carrick is still in charge, but if he is still in charge, it is a difficult one to navigate. Especially having fallen out with Bruno. Joao Pedro is injured, [Emi] Martinez is injured and the goalkeeper [Mike Penders] had a howler against Spurs. I don’t like it. You’d expect Chelsea to win. I’m going Chelsea 2-1."
Mark Goldbridge, speaking on his official YouTube channel, predicted this could be Carrick's last game in charge, saying: "I've seen quite a lot of people [back the] draw, maybe that's not a bad shout, but I'm gonna go with a Chelsea win. I watched Chelsea play against Spurs at Stamford Bridge and Spurs deserved to win. I don't think [United] are capable of playing like Spurs do. Spurs played like that against us at Old Trafford, they played us off the park in the first half. So I don't think we can do what Spurs do and dominate possession...I watched [Chelsea] against Liverpool, it was a much more equal game but I don't think we can defend like Liverpool did and Chelsea still created chances. I think Chelsea's system causes us problems...and when Alonso's system works, when you're quite a rigid team, it becomes problematic."
Former Players Weigh In
Chelsea icon Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink told the Straits Times: "We had a very, very good match against Everton, 2-0 away, magnificent, and the performance was great. Yes, the game after that [2-0 loss at home to Tottenham] was a little bit disappointing, but they’ve got an opportunity to put that right against Man United, and I think they will."
Former Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell agreed, saying: "Big game for Chelsea. I’ve done a couple of draws, and they’ve come in, but I do see this being a draw. But I’m going to go Chelsea 1-0."
Liverpool icon Steve Nicol predicted a 2-1 win for Chelsea on ESPN FC, saying: "Give me one thing that will make a difference. And there is only one thing...responsibility. If the penny dropped and the players could look in the mirror and go, 'I'm partly responsible for this. I'm gonna do my bit...if they all do that, then you might get something. But then the question is, do we really think enough of them are gonna think they're responsible for this? Because right now it looks like they're blaming anybody and everybody except themselves."
Blues icon John Mikel Obi cast his prediction on his YouTube channel, saying: "I'm gonna go for my club, my team, Chelsea, to beat struggling Manchester United."
All six pundits expect a Chelsea win, with scores ranging from 1-0 to 6-0, as Carrick faces another potential make-or-break fixture in west London.
