"They’re in such a mess" - Mark Lawrenson makes bold prediction ahead of Manchester United vs Chelsea
Mark Lawrenson has tipped Chelsea to put Manchester United in more misery as the two English giants face off at Old Trafford on Wednesday, December 6. The former Liverpool defender has predicted a 2-1 scoreline in the Blues' favor.
Manchester United lost 1-0 to Newcastle United on Saturday (December 2) but the scoreline did not reflect how poor they were on the pitch. The Magpies were by far the more dominating side but did not have their day in terms of finishing.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have also been poor this season but have shown signs of improvement of late. They defeated Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 at Stamford Bridge last weekend despite being down to 10 men in the second half.
Lawrenson reckons that even though Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is under a lot of pressure, he is not under immediate danger of being sacked. He has also hit out at the United players for their poor attitude.
Lawrenson has predicted Chelsea to secure a 1-2 win away at Old Trafford. He wrote in Paddy Power:
"Erik ten Hag’s under big pressure but I don’t think he’ll get sacked. They’re in such a mess off the field and you look at some of the players and they just don’t seem to be bothered. It’s a really strange situation.
"Chelsea had that good result against Brighton last time so I’ll take a 2-1 Chelsea away Win here."
Manchester United are seventh in the table and have already exited the Carabao Cup. They are also on the brink of elimination from the UEFA Champions League, being at the bottom of their group.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are 10th and are four points behind the Red Devils.
Chelsea and Manchester United interested in signing Serie A goalkeeper
Chelsea have reportedly joined Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the race to sign AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
As per French outlet GFFN, Maignan's contract extension talks with AC Milan have stalled, with the current one expiring in 2026. The former Lille keeper could, hence, be on the move. The Rossoneri are said to be willing to cash in on their first-choice keeper at €70 million as the Frenchman is being monitored by clubs across Europe.
Mike Maignan came through the youth ranks at PSG before making a name for himself at Lille. He joined AC Milan in 2021 and has been phenomenal for the Rossoneri having made 84 appearances for the club keeping 35 clean sheets. He has six clean sheets in 16 games across competitions this campaign.