Manchester United is referred to as the Red Devils, and that only seems fitting on Sunday. Chelsea certainly thinks that Jose Mourinho is one heck of a devil in his own right, and the devil returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time since his dismissal last season from the Blues when two of the top teams in England square off in an important battle in London.
Don't miss the Barclays Premier League action from Stamford Bridge at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, October 23, 2016. Catch every moment of the match live on NBC Sports Network.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chelsea +111
Manchester United +264
Draw +243
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
By right, both of these teams have underachieved by their own standards this year. Neither is in the Top 4, though neither is so far out of the equation that a return to the top of the table is out of the question. It's a much better start, in fact, than many pundits expected out of two teams that understandably made some massive changes after last season's debacles.
Based on the betting line in this game though, you wouldn't know anything changed at all. Chelsea is set at +111 on the moneyline alongside a relatively low total of a flat 2.5.
Key Injuries
Mourinho has been a little coy about his injury situation this week, likely just trying to stick it to his former club. We know that Anthony Martial and Morgan Scheiderlin were both out last week against Liverpool, but we don't know if they're returning for this game or not. Phil Jones is getting ready to return from a knee injury, but this week feels just a tad too early for him to come back, at least for starting duties.
Last week against Leicester City, Chelsea was really handicapped with missing players. Some things were out of the control of the club. Oscar was merely sick. John Obi Mikel, Branislav Ivanovic and Cesc Fabregas were all out with minor injuries. In all likelihood, all four will be back in the fold this week, and they'll make Chelsea a full squad again if that's the case.
Recent Form
Manchester United has had a couple draws in a row to endure against Liverpool and Stoke City. These results fit in the category of not so bad to get Mourinho in any hot water, but not so good to get him praised either. Keep in mind that Man U has a Europa League match against Fenerbache on Thursday, but at least it's playing at home and doesn't have to get back from Turkey before this crucial encounter.
Chelsea just ripped apart Leicester City last week in a 3-0 win even without all of the absentees. It was a fantastic game for Diego Costa, who was on point in the triumph along with Willian. It was the second straight win for the Blues after a disappointing 3-0 loss to Arsenal at the end of September.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Oh, that tricky devil, Mourinho! He's already building up his side as one that has been disappointing this season, yet he's playing down this return to Stamford Bridge as much as he can. But anyone who knows the Portuguese chap knows that revenge is the only thing he has on his mind at the moment.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic hasn't been in awful form, but Mourinho is going after him for better play in the media. He's one of these many players who come up big in big games, and if given the choice between Zlatan and Diego Costa in the big spot to come up with the big goal to change this match, this is a no-contest.
Mourinho will have something up his sleeve for sure, and when he pulls it out, we're just not sure if Chelsea is going to have the answers. Either way, this should be a match that lives up to the billing and hype.
Barclays Premier League Odds: Manchester United 2, Chelsea 1
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