Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has claimed that it could be ‘easy’ for Chelsea as they take on the stuttering Red Devils at Old Trafford on Thursday evening.
The Blues travel to take on Ralf Rangnick ’s men with United having seemingly been handed what could be a terminal blow to their Champions League hopes. They were on the end of a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal last time out.
Goals from Nuno Tavares, Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka secured the three points for the Gunners - Cristiano Ronaldo finding the net for the Red Devils, whilst compatriot Bruno Fernandes missed a spot-kick. The reverse was United’s third in their last four Premier League games - their only win coming against Norwich City at Old Trafford.
That run of form has left them six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal with just four matches of the season remaining. With United looking vulnerable, Neville has suggested that Chelsea could be in for a relatively straightforward evening at Old Trafford in midweek despite the Blues themselves being in the midst of a somewhat inconsistent run of results.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former defender said: "They've [Chelsea] lost their last two [two from three], there's an element of they've got to stop the wheels coming off. You see where they are in the table and they seem comfortable, they go to Old Trafford on Thursday.
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"That should be an easy one, but if they were to lose at United on Thursday then they'll be dragged right into a big problem. They need to make sure they're professional.”
The Blues just scraped past West Ham United last time out, Christian Pulisic netting a late winner for the Blues after Jorginho had missed from the penalty spot. Victory over the Hammers had finally got Chelsea back on track at Stamford Bridge having lost three out of their previous four matches before taking on their London rivals.
Victory keeps Chelsea in the Champions League places and the current European champions are looking like a positive bet on returning to Europe’s top table next term. Neville has told the Blues that they still have plenty to play for between now and the end of the campaign so should not let their season peter out.
"I can understand why it's difficult for those players after going out of Europe with the performance they had, so I can see why they're a little down,” he continued. “They've got a big FA Cup final coming up and they've got to secure third place - because there's still a lot to do for them yet."
Interestingly, Chelsea have not managed to beat Manchester United in the Premier League since a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge back in November 2017. The last clash between the two ended 1-1 - Jadon Sancho opening the scoring for the Red Devils, with Jorginho replying from the penalty spot.
