It might not all be good, but it’s never dull at Old Trafford these days. This week Erik ten Hag was sacked after months of speculation over his position at Manchester United, and this weekend, they welcome one of the Premier League’s hottest seats in the land – Chelsea. Indeed, the bench in Manchester was described as an electric chair this week in Spain.
From the look of things, it appears Ruben Amorim will be taking over from ten Hag, but it will likely be former Real Madrid and Malaga striker Ruud van Nistlerooy who faces off against Enzo Maresca, with the interim manager overseeing a 5-2 win over Leicester City in midweek. The Blues on the other hand went out of the League Cup, going down 2-0 to Newcastle United.
There are plenty of reasons for fans of the big two to keep an eye on matters on Sunday afternoon at 16:30 local time, with a number of links to game in Spain. Ten Hag was a former candidate for the Barcelona job, while Amorim was also mentioned when Xavi Hernandez was on the exit ramp this year. Meanwhile Maresca is a former disciple of Pep Guardiola, the godfather of Barcelonisme.
On the pitch, Maresca can select any of three former Barcelona players in Marc Cucurella, Marc Guiu and Joao Felix, meanwhile Carney Chukwuemeka and Romeo Lavia were linked with the Catalan giants as potential options in January if they wanted to strengthen their midfield. The latter has displaced Enzo Fernandez in the line-up of late.
HOW TO BUY MANCHESTER UNITED V CHELSEA TICKETS
For the home side, Andre Onana also used to turn out for Barcelona as a youth player, while Casemiro is an icon at Real Madrid. While it might be too early for Leny Yoro to return from injury, Madridistas can get a look at another former, and potentially future, target in Alejandro Garnacho.
United’s win over Leicester was just their second in nine games, which speaks to the form that got ten Hag the sack. Chelsea had been in fine form, but losses to Newcastle and Liverpool have reminded Maresca that they are a long way from being able to mix it with the big-hitters.
Between the two sides, it’s been relatively even this decade, with the Red Devils winning on three occasions, Chelsea twice, and the two sides proving inseparable on five occasions over the last 10 clashes. Their last meeting finished 4-3 to Chelsea in a goal-fest, but the home fans can go in with the confidence that they have not lost a home Premier League match to Chelsea in the last 11 years.
How to Buy Last-Minute Tickets for Manchester United v Chelsea
There’s plenty to whet your appetite for this one, with van Nistlerooy’s presence providing an element of unpredictability in the game. If you fancy going to Old Trafford, the reality is you’re likely going through a third-party website. United have been selling tickets on their website, but only to members of the club. The traveling Chelsea support has also exhausted their allocation, meaning that avenue is also closed to fans who want to go.
Given the proximity of the game, finding a site that is trusted and reliable is essential, and there are few, if any better than LiveFootballTickets.com. They have an exemplary rating on Trustpilot, and in the rare cases that they cannot deliver an order, LiveFootballTickets.com guarantee 150% of your money back.
They have around 2,300 tickets starting at €79, with more selection than any other of the sites mentioned. Viagogo have just 183 remaining, but only in hospitality, meaning that it would cost a minimum of €144. FootballTicket.Net are selling their tickets starting at €82, and Stubhub will match the LiveFootballTickets.com price, but have a little over 200 available, meaning finding a seat together is much more difficult.
