Chelsea vs Man United today: kick-off time, team news, prediction
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Chelsea host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge today. Kick-off is 12:30 PM GMT.
- Chelsea sit fifth after a bad week. United are 16th and winless in eight games.
- This is the 200th meeting of the clubs. Peter Bankes is the referee.
Chelsea host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge today. Kick-off is 12:30 PM GMT in round nine of the Premier League. Both teams need a win, and both managers need one too.
What happened
Chelsea come into this game after a bad week. They suffered the 2-0 home loss to Tottenham last weekend. Then they lost to Liverpool on penalties in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Those results left Chelsea fifth in the Premier League. They have 13 points from eight games. They sit two points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.
Chelsea are missing their top scorer. Joao Pedro has five league goals this season. He is still sidelined, according to Sports Illustrated.
Chelsea lost to Brentford and Tottenham while he was out. Morgan Rogers has stepped up with nine goal involvements in 11 games in all competitions. Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 11 Saturday lunchtime league games.
United's week has been worse. Earlier in October, they lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. Then came two heavy losses in a row.
United lost 4-1 to Como in the Champions League. Then they suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday. Those results left United 16th in the league.
They have seven points from eight games. They sit one point above the relegation zone.
Michael Carrick is still the United manager. The club's board met on Monday and gave him more time. Carrick then held clear-the-air talks with captain Bruno Fernandes and the rest of the squad.
United have not won in eight games in all competitions. They are the only Premier League side without a goal in the first 30 minutes. No other team has waited that long this season.
Why it matters
This is the 200th meeting of the two clubs in all competitions. Chelsea lead the head-to-head with 56 wins to United's 82, with 61 draws. No fixture has been drawn more often in Premier League history.
Twenty-seven of the 68 league meetings finished level.
United won both games last season. They beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in April. That win came during Carrick's first spell as caretaker manager.
Chelsea had won the two home games before that. They won 4-3 in April 2024. They won 1-0 in May 2025.
Xabi Alonso took over Chelsea this summer. He is also under pressure. The cup exit and the home defeat to Spurs stung.
No team's matches have produced more goals after eight matchweeks. Chelsea's games have seen 32 goals so far.
For United, the worry is the slow starts. They have not scored in the opening 30 minutes all season. They have kept one clean sheet in their last 12 games in all competitions.
That shutout came against Azerbaijani side Sabah in the Champions League. They have won just one of their last seven away league games. All seven games were in the Saturday lunchtime slot.
What happens next
Team news first. United are without four players.
Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford, Manuel Ugarte and Benjamin Sesko are all out. That is per EPL Index.
Chelsea are likely still without Joao Pedro. There are no suspensions on either side.
The predicted United line-up starts with Lammens in goal. Yoro, Maguire, Martinez and Dalot play in defence. Santos and Baleba sit in midfield.
Diallo, Tielemans and Fernandes play behind Mbeumo. Bryan Mbeumo is United's top scorer with four league goals. Bruno Fernandes has three goals and is the creative heart of the team.
Peter Bankes is the referee. Gary Beswick and Blake Antrobus are his assistants. James Bell is the video referee.
Bankes has not refereed a Chelsea game since March. That game was the 4-2 FA Cup win at Wrexham.
Most signs point to a Chelsea win. Chelsea are the favourites with the bookmakers. USA Today predicts a 2-0 home win.
Sports Illustrated picks Chelsea to win 2-1. But United have fond memories of this ground. They ended a long winless run in west London last April.
Carrick's team also knows how to frustrate Chelsea.
How to watch
The game kicks off at 12:30 PM GMT on Saturday. That is 8:30 AM Eastern Time in the United States. In the UK, the game is live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.
Coverage starts at 11:00 AM GMT. It is on HBO Max, the TNT Sports app and discovery plus.
In the United States, the game is on USA Network and Telemundo. Fans can also stream it on Sling TV and Fubo. In Nigeria and much of Africa, SuperSport is the place to watch.
Saturday's result will say a lot about both managers. A Chelsea win would steady Alonso after a rough week. A United win would buy Carrick some breathing room.
Either way, this old rivalry rarely passes quietly.
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