The Erik Ten Hag era in Manchester is officially over. After 2.5 seasons with the club, the Dutch manager was fired earlier this week, leaving United 14th place in the Premier League and winless in three Europa League games.

The Man Utd management wasted no time hiring his replacement. Up-and-coming star manager Rúben Amorim was announced as the new manager but he will not be in charge for this weekend’s matchup. Interim manager and former United legend Ruud Van Nistelrooy will lead the team on Sunday.

In his first game in the Premier League as a manager, Van Nistelrooy is facing an uphill battle against Chelsea.

Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea found its stride after a slow start to the season. Their only two losses this season came against Man City and Liverpool, and they arguably could have secured a point against the Reds in Gameweek 8.

As of now, they are a much more organized team than Man Utd. They know the XI they want to start and the style they want to play. Players know their roles and the vibes are good in the locker room.

However, playing any team immediately after a coaching change can be tricky. United will be motivated to kickstart the new era on the right foot. The extra intensity they will likely be playing with could give Man Utd the boost they need against a better team.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Moneyline:

Man Utd: +155
Draw: +270
Chelsea: +150

Total Goals:

Over 3.5: +115
Under 3.5: -150

Both Teams to Score:

Yes: -250
No: +185

This is certainly a difficult one to predict because of the special circumstances around Man Utd management.

Having watched United all season, it’s very difficult to trust them in any matchup, especially one against a solid side. They have been a fragile and mistake-prone team with a shaky backline.

Offensively, they struggle to produce, scoring only eight goals in nine games so far. The lack of creativity from their stars like Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford has been extremely disappointing. The duo has one goal and three assists between the two of them in nine Premier League games.

Add below-average passing and build-up play from the back that is shockingly dependent on past-prime Christian Eriksen, and you have an offensively challenged team.

Despite the management change, it’s hard to see United creating a ton of chances against Chelsea. It is likely that Van Nistelrooy will play a cautious game since he will presumably be fine with a draw in his first game.

On the other side of the matchup, Cole Palmer is still on fire and will continue to be the most important player for Chelsea in this big clash. They are very dependent on Palmer for their offensive production and he has delivered so far with seven goals and five assists in nine games. Considering how the rest of the Chelsea frontline can struggle finishing, it will be up to Palmer to not only create but also convert the chances.

While Chelsea would obviously prefer to get all three points, they will likely be okay with settling for a draw. That might give us a low-scoring affair.

Under 3.5 goals at -150 or even under 2.5 goals at +170 are safer bets but let’s take a risk and go with a draw here.

Pick: Draw +270

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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