The curtains will fall on the 2024/25 Premier League season soon, with only two rounds of fixtures remaining before the long-winding campaign ends. Gameweek 37 kicks off on Friday, and the action on the day will start with the game between Aston Villa and Tottenham before ending with Chelsea vs Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca will be frustrated with the way his charges have played since the final week of 2024. Chelsea, once sitting comfortably inside the top five in the second spot, might finish as low as seventh and miss out on UEFA Champions League qualification. While the Blues promised a turnaround in a recent three-match winning run, that streak ended against Newcastle United last weekend.
The Magpies beat Chelsea 2-0 at St. James’ Park, leaving Maresca’s men looking perilously over their shoulders, with sixth-placed Aston Villa level with them and seventh-placed Nottingham Forest only a point behind. So, with Chelsea and Nottingham Forest set to face off in Gameweek 38, the battle for the fifth spot will likely stretch until the final day.
On the other hand, 2024/25 will end as the worst modern-day season for Manchester United, even if they win next week’s UEFA Europa League final against Tottenham. The Red Devils are on the cusp of finishing only one spot outside the relegation zone, with Tottenham 17th and a place behind them.
Ruben Amorim’s men have treated the Premier League as an irrelevant competition this season, barely putting up a fight unless they have played a team in the relegation zone. Manchester United will come into Friday’s match vs Chelsea on a seven-match winless run, with their most recent victory in the Premier League coming in March.
The reverse fixture saw Chelsea come from a goal down to hold Manchester United to a 1-1 draw, with Bruno Fernandes opening the scoring before Moises Caicedo netted the equaliser. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Enzo Maresca has a new roster issue that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Chelsea manager will be bereft of the services of as many as eight first-team players vs Manchester United on Friday.
Nicolas Jackson is the latest absentee after seeing red against Newcastle United last weekend. In addition, Jadon Sancho cannot face his parent club due to the terms of his loan. The attacking duo has joined Aaron Anselmino (thigh), Wesley Fofana (hamstring), Omari Kellyman (thigh), Christopher Nkunku (knock), and Marc Guiu (hamstring) on the sidelines. In addition, Mykhailo Mudryk continues serving a suspension due to a doping violation.
Robert Sanchez will take his spot between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Friday. The backline should feature Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Noni Madueke and Tyrique George being the two wide attackers. Finally, Pedro Neto should start as a makeshift striker for Chelsea against Manchester United.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, George; Neto
Like his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Ruben Amorim has an issue to worry about ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge due to a new injury concern. The Manchester United manager will be without six first-team players on Friday. However, Jonny Evans and Toby Collyer have resumed training and should be available.
Leny Yoro is the latest absentee after picking up a foot injury last weekend against West Ham United. The French defender has joined Lisandro Martinez (knee), Diogo Dalot (calf), Matthijs de Ligt (knee), Ayden Heaven (ankle), and Joshua Zirkzee (hamstring) on the sidelines. However, Dalot has resumed light training and might aim to be available for the UEFA Europa League final.
Andre Onana is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Friday. The central defensive unit should feature Tyler Fredricson, Victor Lindelof, and Luke Shaw.
Patrick Dorgu and Harry Amass will likely start as the two wing-backs, with Christian Eriksen and Kobbie Mainoo pairing up in the middle of the park. Finally, Chido Obi-Martin should lead the line for Manchester United against Chelsea, with Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount providing creative support.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Onana; Fredricson, Lindelof, Shaw; Dorgu, Eriksen, Mainoo, Amass; Mount, Bruno Fernandes; Obi
While Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Amad Diallo were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Fernandes as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League game between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Only Mohamed Salah (56) has been involved in more goals than Bruno Fernandes (36 – G19 A17) in all competitions among Premier League players this term. However, less than half of those have come in the Premier League (17 – G8 A9). Meanwhile, the Portuguese international scored in the reverse fixture, and he will be Ruben Amorim’s go-to man to get something from Saturday’s clash as the Red Devils look to turn their fortunes around.
With Manchester United focused entirely on the UEFA Europa League, the performances in the Premier League have been horrendous. The Red Devils are on their worst winless run in the top flight in over three decades, and they barely turn up in the Premier League.
On the other hand, Chelsea’s home form in 2025 has been at a league-leading level, even though they have blown hot and cold this year. In addition, the Blues do not lose their final games of the season often, with the most recent defeat coming in 2002.
However, Manchester United tend to step up against the best teams under Ruben Amorim, and they recently held Manchester City to a goalless draw. So, as they prepare to build momentum towards the UEFA Europa League final, one can expect the away side to step up. The Hard Tackle predicts Chelsea to dominate the proceedings but the game to end in a stalemate, as we go for a 1-1 draw for Friday’s tie.
