STAR PREVIEW Sun: Man U v Chelsea

Just as with yesterday, there’ll be an odd feeling to this FA Cup semi-final but the footballing scenario is an all so familiar one; Manchester United taking on Chelsea for a spot in the final. This evening’s clash promises to excite on many levels, bringing together two closely matched sides with very young managers who are taking big strides forward post restart. Manchester United have thrived in that period, with an enforced break refreshing their side – especially in midfield and attack – with Bruno Fernandes at the centre of matters.

Fernandes’ move from Sporting Lisbon looks like the move of the season – no team has collected more points (28) than United since he arrived (12 games) and whilst he’s had an obvious direct impact with five goals and five assists since the restart, his presence has also managed to get the best out of United’s other attacking players.

Paul Pogba, refreshed from his enforced break, has hit his stride and is finding some of his best United form and the pair are contributing to a lethal front three for United.
Arguably the biggest improvement has been in the fortunes of Anthony Martial, who has a new vein of form post lockdown with six goals since the return of the Premier League after goals in back to back games against Southampton and Crystal Palace this week. Marcus Rashford has recently hit scoring form again with three goals in his last four, although he’s become just as important in setting up goals as he is in scoring them, and young star Mason Greenwood continues to impress.

Chelsea have had a similar ending to their season, with a refreshed young side making hay going forward, and they have every chance of securing Champions League football once again after a largely excellent Premier League run.

The inspired form of Christian Pulisic since the restarts (three goals and four assists in the Premier League) has arguably been the Blues’ key asset, and much like Fernandes at Manchester United, other players have improved in kind with Ross Barkley – scorer of the winning goal in quarter-final against Leicester – building an excellent partnership with the American whilst Willian has had his best Chelsea spell for some time, scoring four goals in three games before assisting twice against Crystal Palace.

Man Utd v Chelsea
FA Cup Semi-Final
18:00 BBC One HD / BBC iPlayer

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD
(Maximum 10 matches, since 2010)
FEB 2020 PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea 0-2 Manchester United
OCT 2019 EFL CUP Chelsea 1-2 Manchester United
AUG 2019 PREMIER LEAGUE Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea
APR 2019 PREMIER LEAGUE Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea
FEB 2019 FA CUP Chelsea 0-2 Manchester United
OCT 2018 PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea 2-2 Manchester United
MAY 2018 FA CUP Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United
FEB 2018 PREMIER LEAGUE Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea
NOV 2017 PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United
APR 2017 PREMIER LEAGUE Manchester United 2-0 Chelsea

The Blues have scored 14 goals since the return of football in all competitions – and can look forward to doing even more of that next season with The arrival of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner – but we’ve also seen vulnerabilities that must be worked on too. West Ham managed to shock them with a mixture of set piece prowess and counter attacking proficiency, and Sheffield United took advantage of dire defensive performances from Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger for a dominant 3-0 win last weekend.

It’s those defensive mishaps –and perhaps a front three that’s perceived to be more dangerous than Chelsea’s – that make United favourites here but there isn’t going to be much between two sides that are separated by just a point in the Premier League table (two points if counting only games since the restart).

United also have vulnerabilities that Chelsea can target too – they were slow to start against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace before dominating after the first goal had been scored – and Southampton’s aggressive pressing of United’s midfield, especially Paul Pogba, caused them serious problems when they drew 2-2 on Monday.

It’s also worth noting that today is going to be United’s toughest test since football’s restart – the highest placed teams they’ve played so far have been Tottenham and Southampton, both games that ended in score draws to boot.

This could be an entertaining clash with two sides better going forward than back – and one of them particularly keen to press to boot – and 5/6 on over 2.5 goals looks fair. United would just edge the call here if asked to make one, but a couple of correct scores could be the best way to play this. 2-1 United and the 2-2 draw both makes appeal at 17/2 and 12/1 respectively.

RECOMMENDED BETS (scale of 1-100 points)
BACK Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea 1 pt at 17/2 with
BACK Manchester United 2-2 Chelsea 1 pt at 12/1 with

---

PROFIT/LOSS SINCE JAN 1 2017: PROFIT 225.50 points
(Excluding Cheltenham 2021 antepost, Premier League ante-post, Six Nations Outright, Six Nations Specials, Cameron Brown Football Bets, Derby bet)