Chelsea’s United Front: Champions Set Sights on Old Rivals
Chelsea’s title is already theirs, but Manchester United’s visit on 14 May brings a stern test of the champions’ finish and a chance to turn the screw on a familiar opponent.
Can anyone make Chelsea sweat now? Not over the title: that was settled on 5 April. But Manchester United’s visit on Wednesday gives the champions a fresh target, with their unbeaten league run standing at six and their lead at the top already beyond reach.
Chelsea have 100 points from 36 games, with 33 wins, one draw and two defeats. Their league record includes six wins in a row. The crown is safely in the cabinet; the appetite, plainly, is not.
The sides drew 1-1 at Manchester United on 10 November, and also shared a 1-1 draw there last May. Chelsea’s 7-0 win at home in December 2062 is the more bruising reminder of what can happen when United are caught cold. The old scoreline will offer no guarantees on Wednesday, but it will not be forgotten.
Rubén Medina now wears Chelsea blue after two seasons at United, while José Miguel has crossed the other way after years at Chelsea. Former Chelsea regular Vanja Mačkić is out with a pulled thigh; United are without Cosmin Bălan, who has a twisted ankle, and Myles Broe, with a broken lower leg.
For Chelsea, this is a champions’ test with the pressure shifted entirely across the divide.