FA Cup Chelsea vs Manchester United: The Tale of Sarri and Ole

Chelsea vs Manchester United

What a way to round off the FA Cup weekend: the visit of Manchester United to Chelsea in a repeat of last season’s final!

The Blues and Red Devils are old FA Cup enemies for sure, and both are in need of a boost when they clash at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

Following a super run, United came crashing back down to earth with a defeat to PSG. The nature of defeat showed just how far they have to go to challenge Europe’s very best again. And Chelsea, well…a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City was as humiliating as it can get for supposed title contenders!

There is an intriguing sub-plot in this FA Cup Chelsea vs Manchester United clash and what it means to the two managers, Maurizio Sarri and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Talking points

Two coaches, two stories…

It’s been a rollercoaster first season in the Premier League for Maurizio Sarri following his switch from Serie A. He was certainly on the up after making an impressive unbeaten start which took his side up among the league leaders before losing against Spurs late in November.

It’s been a rougher ride since then, and the happy talk of ‘Sarriball’ has turned to murmurings of Maurizio’s job security, particularly after heavy away defeats: the damaging hammering at the Etihad followed an equally embarrassing 4-0 capitulation in Bournemouth.

Midfielder Ross Barkley did his boss a big favour last night with an impressive performance and goal away to Malmo in the Europa League. And Sarri was pleased with the way his side won, his mood clearly improved from a couple of weeks ago when he confessed he didn’t know how to motivate his players. “We need to have the right application,” he said. “If you have a bad mental application in England, you can lose three or four matches. We need to have consistency. It is not easy, but we have to try.”

If his highly paid players have a bad mental application against United, Sarri knows he’ll be under serious pressure again.

That is something the Red Devils can’t be accused of since the arrival of OGS, though you have to question what they were up to under Jose Mourinho!

Much of Manchester United’s recent upturn in form is down to the refreshing approach of former player Solskjaer. And in an impressive unbeaten run of 11 games, including ten wins, he had a very strong case for being considered for the big job at the Theatre of Dreams. But the next couple of weeks will be a big test of his credentials, with this trip to Chelsea followed by a home match against Liverpool, and the return UCL leg in Paris. Three games without a win would turn the tide of opinion, and Ole’s honeymoon would be over.

Red Devils injury problems

Manchester United’s defeat to PSG wasn’t entirely unexpected but it came with an additional cost, with both Jesse Lingard (hamstring) and Anthony Martial (groin) limping off. That leaves OGS short of pace, and it could mean a return to the starting line-up of Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean made a positive impact on his appearance in United’s cup win over Arsenal but was anonymous in the defeat to PSG.

So who are the key players? Paul Pogba will be available as his red card in the Champions League doesn’t affect domestic fixtures. If he performs to his highest standard, then United certainly have a chance.

FA Cup Chelsea vs Manchester United: Gonzalo Higuain will be a key offensive player for Blues as they face Red Devils — Gonzalo Higuain celebrates scoring his first goal for Chelsea

For Chelsea, new signing Gonzalo Higuain got off to a flying start with two well-taken goals in a 5-0 win over Huddersfield. This stage is set for him to show what a shrewd recruit he could be. Cesar Azpilicueta is arguably the best attacking wing-back in the league, and then there’s the irrepressible Eden Hazard who also bagged a brace against the Terriers.

History

Only Manchester City are at a lower price to lift the trophy than these two teams, with Chelsea at SBOBET odds of 5.50 and United at 6.00. So this is a huge game indeed.

This is the third time the clubs have met in the FA Cup in three seasons: Hazard scored the winning penalty in last season’s final after being fouled by Phil Jones.

The Red Devils have had the best of the FA Cup Chelsea vs Manchester United results with eight wins to Chelsea’s four with three draws in the 90 minutes, but Chelsea has won the last four, all by 1-0.

Betting Tip

	Chelsea vs Manchester United	Chelsea 1×2 @1.99
	February 19, 03:30 (GMT+8)

The Blues have been much stronger at home than away in recent weeks, and the Chelsea vs Manchester United odds reflect that. You can get 1.72 on a double chance of United or Draw, but I just feel Chelsea have more players who can win the tie, with United missing the pace of Lingard and Martial.