'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
After a long break from domestic action due to national team engagements during the international break, all attention would once more turn to the top flight leagues across Europe, with particular attention on England.
The Premier League has global following worldwide, and interest would be particularly rife in London, where the biggest clash of this season takes place as Chelsea hosts Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues sit joint-top of the table, unbeaten after eight matches, with talisman Eden Hazard getting a new lease of life under Maurizio Sarri and playing the best football of his life hence The Blues would head into the fixture as heavy favorites to triumph in this clash of Premier League heavyweights.
Manchester United, on the other hand, have suffered a dip in form thus far this season, and are rightly installed as underdogs in the clash, with many expecting Chelsea to emerge victorious from the matchup. Here are three reasons why Chelsea would likely win the match against Manchester United.
#3 They are in better form than Manchester United
After long weeks of speculations, Chelsea parted ways with Italian manager Antonio Conte after the Italian manager guided the club to a Premier League title in record-breaking fashion in his debut season and an FA Cup triumph in his last season at the club.
As his replacement, the Londoners turned to his 59-year-old compatriot Maurizio Sarri who had earned rave reviews for his tactical acumen which manifested itself in the aesthetic football played by Napoli. The Pertenopei won admirers all over the world for the way they carried themselves in their ultimately futile quest to dislodge Juventus as Italian champions.
There was skepticism over Sarri’s appointment, as despite the impressiveness of his work with Napoli, it was felt that the 59-year-old lacked the necessary wherewithal to succeed at a club the size of Chelsea, as the former Empoli man had never won a major honor in his managerial career, and it was seen as a wrong move being thrust into the hot seat at a notoriously volatile Chelsea.
However, three months into his reign, and Sarri is turning critics into believers as he has molded Chelsea into genuine title contenders, leading the club to joint-top spot on the table by sticking to his unique possession based fluid style of play nicknamed ‘sarriball’.
Sarriball has helped bring out the best of Chelsea, including Eden Hazard, and The Blues are one of the most in-form teams in the league.
They have gotten 20 points from a possible 24, scoring 18 goals while conceding just five. Everybody bar their center-forwards have stepped up to the plate, with the resultant effect being that Chelsea can step toe to toe with any club in the world on current form.
Manchester United, on the other hand, are very much in crises, and find themselves struggling for positivity both on and off the pitch, and this vast difference in the form of both clubs is a major factor which could see Chelsea triumph on Saturday.
#2 Recent history is in their favor
Chelsea and Manchester United are high ranking clubs in the upper echelons of English football, so whenever the pair meets, fireworks are always guaranteed to explode and it is an area for either club to express supreme superiority over the other.
However, in recent seasons, Chelsea has been the dominant of the pair in matches at Stamford Bridge, winning each of the last four home fixtures, including two 1-0 victories in the FA Cup and a 4-0 thumping on Jose Mourinho's return to the Bridge in 2016.
Home form is always a deciding factor in marquee fixtures like this, and with Chelsea’s particularly strong record in recent years against Manchester United at home, The Blues would be confident of pulling off another victory against one of their biggest rivals.
#1 Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard’s status as a premier footballer over the years has not been in doubt, but there have always been skeptics owing to his low goalscoring returns and perceived limited impact in the opposition box.
He was always compared with fellow wing players such as Neymar, Bale and Sanchez, and his numbers paled in comparison to these players which is why it was suggested that he could never be regarded as an elite player.
The 28-year-old was also accused of having consistency issues, as he could follow up one impressive season with a poor one, with a case in point being the 2015/2016 where Hazard had a campaign to forget in which he scored just four Premier League goals in 31 appearances just a season on from winning the PFA Player of the year.
This season has however seen an upturn in fortunes for Hazard under Maurizio Sarri, as the Italian’s tactics have brought out the best of the Belgian and given him a freedom which he did not enjoy under the management of both Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho.
Hazard finds himself top of the scorer’s charts with seven goals from eight matches, finding himself at the center of every Chelsea attack, and was deservedly named PFA Player of the Month for September.
Eden Hazard has morphed into a genuine leader on the field of play for Chelsea, and with the kind of imperious form he is in at the moment, Chelsea would fancy their chances against any club in the world.
