Chelsea v Man Utd Tops the FA Cup 5th Round Action

In our last football tips article, we previewed the FA Cup Fourth Round clash between Arsenal and Manchester United, which saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils come out on top and earn a place in the fifth round with a 3-1 victory over the home side.

This weekend sees the Fifth Round taking place and Manchester United will be one of the last two sides in action. The draw hasn’t been kind as after defeating Reading and then Arsenal, United have now been drawn away to Chelsea in what is the biggest of all the FA Cup fifth round ties being played this weekend.

The players will have an extended time to sweat on this fixture with the game scheduled for Monday night and following the game, the draw for the FA Cup Quarterfinals will be made. It will be a much clearer draw as new rules come into play at this stage of the competition, with matches now set to be decided on the day, by extra time and penalties if required, rather than with a replay.

So if you fancy a flutter on this massive FA Cup clash that would have graced the final itself, or indeed if you want a bet on any of the other big games taking place in the competition this weekend, then head over to bet365 Sport for the latest FA Cup betting. Based on where you live and provided you have funds in your account or have placed a bet within the previous 24-hours, you can even watch Live Streams of the games with the company. New customers also benefit from the latest bet365 Sport New Customer Promotion which sees up to £100 available in bet credits once you sign up.

Let’s now preview Monday night’s massive clash, which could have a massive influence on the remainder of the season for both sides and even the future of both incumbent managers at each club.

Chelsea v Manchester United Preview

Chelsea

League Position – 6th

Current Form (last 10 games)*

• V Manchester City (A) – L 0-6
• V Huddersfield (H) – W 5-0
• V Bournemouth (A) – L 0-4
• V Sheffield Wed (H) – W 3-0 (FA Cup 4^th Round)
• V Tottenham (H) – W 2-1 (Carabao Cup Semi Final 2^nd Leg)
• V Arsenal (A) – L 0-2
• V Newcastle Utd (H) – W 2-1
• V Tottenham (A) – L 0-1 (Carabao Cup Semi Final 1^st Leg)
• V Nottm Forest (H) – W 2-0 (FA Cup 3^rd Round)
• V Southampton (H) – D 0-0

Played 10, Won 5, Drew 1, Lost 4, Goals For 14, Goals Against 15.

*Chelsea will have played one more game away to Malmo FF in the Europa League on Thursday prior to this FA Cup match being played.

Manager – Mauricio Sarri

There is no doubt that Maurico Sarri is under pressure at Chelsea. Their 6-0 defeat at Man City on the back of a 4-0 loss at Bournemouth indicates his team is massively underperforming away from home, while still producing the goods in front of their home fans. Having dropped to 6^th in the table, they are now in real danger of missing out once again on the Champions League next season, unless they can win the Europa League or recover their form. That is going to be a big ask for the Italian who has admitted publicly, several times, that he is struggling to motivate this group of players.

Probable Starting XI – 4-3-3 – Kepa (Gk), Azpilicueta, Palmieri, Luiz, Rudiger, Kovacic, Jorginho, Kante, Willian, Hazard, Higuain

I am expecting Sarri to make changes to this team, I think Barkley, Pedro and Alonso will likely make way with Willian, Kovacic and Palmieri coming into the team following that defeat to City. Sarri won’t change his way of playing, especially at home where Chelsea have still performed well, but he needs a big performance from his team today.

Manchester United

League Position – 4th

Current Form (last 10 games)

• V Paris St Germain (H) – L 0-2 (Champions League Round of 16 First Leg)
• V Fulham (A) – W 3-0
• V Leicester (A)- W 1-0
• V Burnley (H) – D 2-2
• V Arsenal (A) – W 3-1 (FA Cup Fourth Round)
• V Brighton (H) – W 2-1
• V Tottenham (A) – W 1-0
• V Reading (H) – W 2-0 (FA Cup Third Round)
• V Huddersfield (H) – W 3-1
• V Cardiff City (A) – W 5-1

Played 10, Won 8, Drew 1, Lost 1, Goals For 22, Goals Against 8

Manager (Caretaker) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

After coming in as a caretaker manager following Jose Mourinho’s sacking, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has performed a minor miracle at United, closing the gap on the teams above them to now lie in the Champions League spots for next season, a truly remarkable achievement in such a short space of time. However, recent results have been tougher and that defeat by PSG underlines that United are still well short of being truly considered one of the best. With the Champions League now looking an unrealistic target, the FA Cup may be United’s last chance of a trophy this season which heaps plenty of pressure on this game. Especially with the manager effectively trying to secure a long term contract with the club.

Probable Starting XI – 4-3-3 – Romero (Gk), Young, Shaw, Lindelof, Bailly, Matic, Herrera, Pogba, Rashford, Lukaku, Sanchez

Sergio Romero will play instead of David de Gea as he does in all Man Utd FA Cup ties and I think the other changes will likely be enforced with Martial and Lingard likely out and Lukaku and Sanchez coming in. Other than that, I can’t see United making too many changes from the team that lost to PSG, although Dalot could come in for Young if the England man is not quite ready for the game.

Chelsea v Manchester United Tips

Match Result – Draw – 12/5

The league game between these two teams ended in a 2-2 draw and while I don’t think this game will be quite as dramatic, I do feel a draw is on the cards. Chelsea are strong at home and need a result, United equally won’t want to lose two games in a row. Two well matched teams in a cup competition usually produces tight games and my gut feeling is that at the end of 90 minutes, we will be level.

Correct Score (90 Mins)  – Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United – 11/2

Having stated we are going for the draw above, I now have to select what the draw will be. I can’t see a 0-0 between the teams as there are too many good players on show and while the league game finished 2-2, I think cup games tend to be tighter given the all or nothing nature of the game. As such, I think a 1-1 draw is the sensible choice.

To Qualify – Manchester United – 6/5

I think this is a game that will go into extra time and I feel this is where United playing a couple of days earlier than Chelsea could kick the tie in their favour. United will have had six days since their last game, Chelsea just three and as such, I can see United grabbing a winner in extra time to qualify.