Paul Merson has come forward to predict the result of the Manchester United away game against Chelsea in this Saturday's Premier League match.
Paul Merson, former England midfielder turned football analyst, has predicted the Premier League big match on Saturday, 18 Apr 2026, believing that the "Red Devils" Manchester United will lose away to the "Blues" Chelsea.
Merson said, "Chelsea played very poorly in the second half against Manchester City. Luckily, they are facing Manchester United, who also played poorly in their loss to Leeds!"
"This is a match that United must not lose and one that Chelsea must win. After this, Chelsea have to visit Brighton, face Nottingham Forest at home, travel to Liverpool, host Spurs, and then go to Sunderland. So if they lose this game, I don't think they'll make the Champions League next season."
"As for Manchester United, if they avoid defeat against Chelsea, they have an advantage in qualifying for the Champions League because Chelsea still have to face Liverpool."
"I would be shocked if Enzo Fernandez does not return to play in this game for Chelsea. I still don't understand why Chelsea suspended him for two matches! They really need someone like him to control possession and thread passes through the defense, especially after their loss to City."
"Manchester United played poorly against Leeds and have several injured players. I don't understand why Brian Mbeumo wasn't in the starting lineup for that match, and Casemiro hasn't played as well without Cody Menyuk alongside him!"
"I think Benjamin Sesko should be dropped for the Chelsea game. He's a player who can come off the bench to make a difference. In the recent match against Leeds, they had no one like that because Sesko was in the starting eleven."
"Chelsea might drop to ninth in the league after this weekend if they don't win. I think they can cause problems for Manchester United, so I choose Chelsea to win."
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United