England Round 5

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Manchester United vs Chelsea Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Manchester United:
Bayındır, Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw, Mazraoui, Fernandes, Ugarte, Dorgu, Mbeumo, Diallo, Sesko

Chelsea:
Sánchez, James, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Cucarella, Fernández, Caicedo, Neto, Palmer, Gittens, Pedro

Manchester United will host Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday evening in a derby match of the Premier League fifth round. The Red Devils didn't start according to the expectations and manager Rubin Amorim is already under big pressure. Four points from the first four matches is not enough. The campaign started with a home defeat to Arsenal, while then drew with Fulham at Craven Cottage. What follow was a shameful cup elimination from the fourth-tier Grimsby. Some kind of relief was the first and so far - only victory - against Burnley. The players were under big pressure, let the lead slip twice, but captain Bruno Fernandes secured the victory after converting an injury-time penalty. Their next opponents were Manchester City, another club that goes through a turbulent period. But it was a game between "cat and mouse". City won 3:0 and it is clear Amorim is not able to change something. He has some additional issues as Matheus Cunha suffered a hamstring injury and the £62.5m summer signing is facing an extended period on the sidelines. Diogo Dalot and Mason Mount will also miss the derby.

Chelsea have eight points after the opening four rounds. First they played a goalless draw with Crystal Palace. Considering the fact they were hosts, it is fair to say Maresca's players dropped two points. It was much better in the second round when they beat West Ham 5:1. Even better, the Blues won 2:0 against Fulham in the third and positioned themselves just behind the leaders Liverpool. But then came a big disappointment. Chelsea conceded a late goal at Brentford to drop another two points. They are not far away from Liverpool, but something else is a problem - the inconsistency. Like it was last season. Worst of all, Chelsea lost 3:1 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday. Cole Palmer scored the goal, but it wasn't enough. However, he and Joao Pedro are the players that could make a difference. The Brazilian has scored two goals and has three assists to his name. Maresca has the majority of his players available, but Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile and Liam Delap are out injured. Mykhaylo Mudryk is still serving his lengthy suspension for doping.

Manchester United vs Chelsea Prediction:

Both sides are coming into the match after painful defeats in the last fixtures. United were beaten 3:0 by Manchester City, while Chelsea lost 3:1 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Both managers - Amorim and Maresca - now must find a way to restore the players confidence. I expect an open encounter with goals at both ends. Even more, the tradition is with my pick, the last four mutual games at Old Trafford ended with both teams scoring. I expect the series to continue.

Manchester United vs Chelsea Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.52 with Pinnacle

 

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Arsenal vs Manchester City Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Arsenal:
Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Magalhaes, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Gyokeres, Eze

Manchester City:
Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Rodri, Silva, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland

Arsenal will welcome Manchester City to Emirates Stadium in London. This is a big derby and the points from this match are very important for psychological reason. The Gunners stared the season in good way, with three victories and one narrow defeat in the opening four rounds of the Premier League. They beat Manchester United at Old Trafford and then demolished Leeds United and Nottingham Forest at Emirates, Arteta's men have scored 8 goals on those two matches. However, they lost to the reigning champions Liverpool at Anfield. The Gunners lost, but they were solid. It is clear Arteta brought the right players this summer. Three of them are top players that already shone - Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon, Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and None Madueke from Chelsea. Arsenal were good in Europe, too. They visited Athletic Bilbau on Tuesday and won 2:0 at San Mames. The players confidence is very high and they will fight for three points here. Captain Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and centre-back William Saliba are all struggling with injury and they are rated as doubtful. Finally, Kai Havertz is a long-term injury victim.

Manchester City started the season with a high 4:0 victory at Wolverhampton. I believe Guardiola slept well that week, but soon after, the nightmares returned. The Citizens suffered two painful defeats from Tottenham and Brighton. It was a repetition of the inconsistency City displayed throughout last season. The return of Rodri didn't impact the result immediately. Many fans were afraid how City will continue, though the last seven days were fantastic. Last weekend they beat 3:0 Man United, while on Thursday won 2:0 against Napoli in the Champions League. I believe the atmosphere in the squad is positive, but a possible defeat here could change that. That is why this match is very important for Pep and his players. Some players are still struggling with injuries. Summer signing Rayan Cherki will miss the next two months through injury. Omar Marmoush picked up an injury on Egypt duty and won't play here. Mateo Kovacic is still out injured. Rayan Ait-Nouri is another player out of action currently. On the positive note, Stones could be ready in time.

Arsenal vs Manchester City Prediction:

Arsenal have generally had an awful record against Manchester City in the last period. But Mikel Arteta managed to change the things. Arsenal are undefeated in their last five matches against Man City in all competitions. Furthermore, they beat the Citizens in the last fixture played at Emirates. Guardiola was outsmarted and outplayed by his former assistant. The Gunners won 5:1 in February, one of the worst defeats for Pep. I don't think such high victory could happen again, but I expect Arsenal to win. They are in better form, the confidence is on their side. Finally, the home advantage should not be underestimated.

Arsenal vs Manchester City Pick: Arsenal to win @ 1.92 with Pinnacle