Manchester United vs. Chelsea prediction, picks, start time: Expert's best bets for Saturday's EPL match

Two of the Premier League's biggest clubs face off on Saturday, Sept. 20 as Manchester United welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford. The Red Devils are hoping to bounce back after being routed by their rivals Manchester City in the Manchester derby 3-0, while Chelsea attempt to recover from a midweek Champions League loss at the hands of Bayern Munich. The Blues have eight points entering this match and are fifth in the league table ahead of Saturday's games, while Man United have just four points and are in 14th ahead of Matchday 5.

Kickoff from Old Trafford is set for 12:30 p.m. ET. Chelsea are +145 favorites on the money line (wager $100 to win $145) at DraftKings Sportsbook while Man United are +170 underdogs (wager $100 to win $170). A draw is priced at +265. The total comes in at 2.5 (Over -180, Under +140). Before you lock in any wagers for Manchester United vs. Chelsea, take a look at what SportsLine soccer expert Martin Green is picking for his best bets of the match.

After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Last year, Green was profitable in multiple areas on his soccer betting picks, including Euro qualifying (+6.30 units), EFL Cup (+4.47), FA Cup (+3.07) and Champions League (+3.05), among others. Anyone who follows him could be way up.

Here are Green's best bets and analysis for Manchester City vs. Chelsea on Saturday:

Manchester United vs. Chelsea picks

• Both teams to score and Over 2.5 goals (-120): 1u
• Cole Palmer to score or assist (-120): 0.5u

Man United will try to reignite their faltering season when they host Chelsea at Old Trafford on Saturday. The Red Devils slipped down to 14th in the Premier League table after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Man City last weekend. They've picked up just four points so far this season, and they also crashed out of the EFL Cup after losing to Grimsby Town. Manager Ruben Amorim is under intense pressure and he could be fired if Man United lose this game. He will need to rally his troops but the players are struggling to adapt to his 3-4-2-1 formation, and they could struggle to contain Chelsea's star-studded attack.

Chelsea's defense looks frail

Chelsea's unbeaten start to the new season ended with a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday. Star player Cole Palmer scored a beautiful goal for the Blues, but Bayern ruthlessly exploited Chelsea's defensive frailties. All three of Bayern's goals came from defensive errors. First, Chelsea center-back Trevoh Chalobah turned Michael Olise's low cross into his own net. Moisés Caicedo then fouled Harry Kane in the box, and Kane easily dispatched the resulting penalty kick. Palmer's goal gave Chelsea hope, but full-back Malo Gusto then played a disastrous back-pass straight into Kane's path, and Kane fired a low strike past Chelsea's goalkeeper to kill the game off.

It was déjà vu for Chelsea, who drew 2-2 with Brentford at the weekend. They dominated that game the defense proved to be their Achilles' heel. Center-backs Chalobah and Toisin Adarabioyo couldn't deal with a long ball over the top, and Kevin Schade scored. Fábio Carvalho bundled in Brentford's second goal in the closing stages after the Blues failed to clear a long throw. Chelsea are stacked in attack. Palmer is the star of the show, and he now has two goals in his last two games. The likes of João Pedro, Pedro Neto, and Alejandro form a strong supporting cast, while Caicedo and Enzo Fernández are terrific in midfield.

Yet a defense featuring Chalobah, Adarabioyo, and Gusto looks weak, and that could prevent Chelsea from mounting a genuine title challenge this season. They've picked up two wins and two draws from their opening four games, but the lack of solidity in defense is concerning.

Amorim's system looks incompatible with Man United's squad

Amorim has the worst record of any United manager since World War II. His win percentage stands at just 36.2% in all competitions. Man Utd were 13th in the Premier League table when he replaced Erik ten Hag as head coach in November 2024. They ended up finishing 15th.

Despite the poor results, including a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in May, the club backed Amorim in the transfer market this summer. They spent more than $270 million on three new forwards - Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Seško - and they also brought in goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Yet the results have remained dismal.

They lost 1-0 to Arsenal, drew 1-1 with Fulham, lost to fourth division team Grimsby in the EFL Cup, scraped a lucky 3-2 win against Burnley, and then lost 3-0 to Man City.