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FA Cup Odds: Man U, Chelsea Meet In Stacked Quarterfinals

Don Aguero

by Don Aguero in Soccer News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

Fabregas arguing with the referee
"Cesc Fabregas" by Ronnie McDonald [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

Chelsea (-105) vs. Manchester United (+375), Draw (+260)

We have a stacked FA Cup quarterfinal coming up between Chelsea and Manchester United. The game is more suited to an FA Cup final, but instead will take place on Monday, March 13th.

If we only consider the second half of the season, then Chelsea and Manchester United are the two top teams in the league. Chelsea have been reliable throughout the year and are currently ten points clear of the league. Unless we see a complete collapse of Antonio Conte’s squad, the 2016-17 title is theirs for the taking.

Manchester United had a rocky start under new manager Jose Mourinho, but have since become a strong team. They’re unbeaten in their last 17 league games, a feat unimaginable at the start of the season. However, their streak has been peppered with draws against teams like Hull, Bournemouth, and Stoke.

That puts them sixth place in the table, with no hopes of taking the title. However, they edged out Southampton for the League Cup, are favorites for the Europa League, and if they manage to beat Chelsea, they’ll be favorites for the FA Cup as well. But if they want a shot at the Champions League next year, they’ll have to finished in at least fourth place.

 

 

Chelsea did not have to worry about any European championships this season and that may have played a role in their success. Without having to play mid-week games against the toughest teams in Europe, Chelsea are fresh and focused for their domestic matches.

The club’s counter-attack this season is among the deadliest in Europe. With their new defensive midfielder, N’Golo Kante, Chelsea are amazingly quick in transition, able to recover possession and immediately feed it through to Eden Hazard or Diego Costa.

Man U have found a hero in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has scored 15 league goals already. And Paul Pogba is among the most precise passers in Europe this season. But the squad still lacks depth, especially in defense.

Man U are playing the best football we’ve seen from them in a while, but it’s hard to pick any Premier League team over Chelsea at the moment.

Pick: Chelsea (-105)

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