Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson thinks Chelsea will beat Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Assistant coach Van Nistelrooy has been put in interim charge of Man Utd after Erik ten Hag was relieved of his duties on Monday.
Van Nistelrooy inspired a 5-2 victory over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening and will be in charge against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
The club hoped the deal to appoint Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim would have been finalised in time for the Red Devils’ clash against Enzo Maresca’s side, but they have been unable to waive his notice period in Lisbon.
Amorim might not be in place until after the November international break, with his first match expected to be against Ipswich Town on the 24th.
That means Van Nistelrooy is preparing the Man Utd first-team squad for Sunday’s match at home to Chelsea and potentially two more fixtures.
Despite the Red Devils’ improvement in front of goal against Leicester, the Blues go into the fixture as favourites.
Arsenal icon Merson thinks Van Nistelrooy has too much to do in a short period of time and that Chelsea will expose a “lazy” Man Utd press by ‘playing through them’.
He told Sportskeeda: “I think Chelsea will win this game. I only say that because they’ll play out from the back and the only way they can get beat is if teams get the ball from them high up the pitch by closing them down.
“I don’t think United will do that up front, they’re just lazy. So I have a feeling that Chelsea can play through them and win the game…
“United went and won 5-2 against Leicester in their cup game.
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“I’m thinking if Ten Hag was still there, Chelsea would be huge favorites in this game. But with Ruud van Nistelrooy in charge now, there will be a change for sure.
“They still look at bit disjointed though, not what you expect from a proper team.
“The problem is that United don’t have enough time to work on these things and beat Chelsea this weekend.”
Merson predicted a 3-1 win for Chelsea and former Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling also thinks Maresca’s men will leave Old Trafford with three points.
“Chelsea will hope there’s no new manager bounce,” Stelling told talkSPORT. “But there’s no question that some of those players who didn’t see eye to eye with Erik ten Hag will have a point to make.
“Chelsea, though, have been irresistible, particularly going forward. Yes, they have their defensive vulnerabilities.
“They haven’t won at Old Trafford for many a year, not since 2012. But I think the long wait could soon be over.
“I’m going to go for Chelsea to win this one. Manchester United 1-2 Chelsea.”
