Paul Merson has shared his forecast for the upcoming Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United, cautioning that Erik ten Hag could face intense scrutiny if his team falters in their next two fixtures.
On Thursday night, two teams grappling with form, Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea and the storied Manchester United, will clash at Stamford Bridge.
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Both teams had lackluster performances prior to the international break and experienced disappointing comebacks to league play, with Chelsea drawing 2-2 against a reduced Burnley squad and United managing only a 1-1 tie with Brentford.
Despite investing over £1billion in new talent under Todd Boehly, Chelsea has had a challenging season under Pochettino, now finding themselves in the lower half of the Premier League standings with ten matches left.
In fact, Chelsea is currently closer to the relegation zone than to league leaders Liverpool.
Manchester United, positioned five spots and eight points ahead of Chelsea, is also dissatisfied with a season marked by an early Champions League exit.
Looking ahead, Ten Hag’s team is up against a tough challenge to secure a spot in next season’s Champions League as they pursue Tottenham and Aston Villa, who are nine and 11 points ahead, respectively.
Looking ahead to United’s trip to Chelsea, Merson told Sportskeeda: ’Manchester United are a million miles away from the likes of Liverpool at the moment. Liverpool have kids playing at times, and United are still so far behind them.
‘Their performance against Brentford was very worrying, and they’re going to have to make a decision at the end of the season. Are they going to give Ten Hag another chance? I’m not sure.
‘It’s very difficult to predict this game. It’s not even a big game, is it? This used to be a mouthwatering fixture. Now, one of these teams got ripped to shreds by Brentford, and the other wasn’t able to dominate a ten-man Burnley side.
‘This is a manager’s game, if I’m being honest. Neither team would want to lose this football match. If Ten Hag loses this game and suffers another defeat against Liverpool next week, he’ll be under massive pressure.
‘Chelsea have the home advantage, but they’re not really dominant. It’ll be a big worry if they don’t beat Man United, because Chelsea fans will remember what Brentford did to United.
‘This won’t be an easy encounter, but Chelsea should be able to win this game. I’m going for 2-1.’
