Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 31 (ANI): Former England and Manchester United forward Michael Owen has backed Chelsea to beat United 3-1 in their Premier League 2026-27 clash on October 31, saying the Blues are in a slightly better position mentally ahead of the fixture.
Chelsea, currently placed fifth in the points table, will aim to recover from their defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and strengthen their bid for a Premier League top-four finish when they face Manchester United on Saturday.
United, meanwhile, will look to get back to winning ways.
Ahead of the contest, Manchester United legend Michael Owen, speaking in an interview shared by JioStar, analysed both sides and shared his prediction for the match.
Owen backed Chelsea to beat Manchester United 3-1, citing their mental advantage, home support and in-form wingers. He also identified United's defence as a weakness and said the club's problems extended beyond manager Michael Carrick, with fans increasingly turning against the board, hierarchy and players.
"In terms of the results, I do think that Chelsea are in a slightly better position mentally, than Manchester United at the moment. Home advantage and some in-form wingers give them the edge. I still think Manchester United's defense is the weak part of their game. And I can see Chelsea scoring a few goals. They've scored quite a few goals already this season and I can see them scoring a few more in this fixture. I'm going to go for a prediction of 3-1 to Chelsea to heap more pressure on Manchester United,” he said.
“I was going to say Michael Carrick, but I don't think the problem is necessarily just Michael Carrick. It's Manchester United as a club, because the fans seem to have turned on the board, the hierarchy, and the players more so than the manager. And I would say rightly so. Interesting game, but I think it's going to be 3-1 to the Blues," he added.
Michael Owen said both Chelsea and Manchester United would be looking to bounce back after defeats in their previous Premier League matches. He acknowledged Chelsea's inconsistency but praised their attacking strength, highlighting the contributions of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. He also described Joao Pedro as an underrated, top-class striker, while noting that Danny Welbeck would replace the injured forward.
"Chelsea against Manchester United in the Premier League. Two teams coming into this highly intense fixture on the back of a defeat last time out in the Premier League. Manchester United lost quite heavily to Bournemouth, and Chelsea suffered a surprise defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur. Both Tottenham and Bournemouth deserved their wins against Chelsea and Manchester United respectively. Two huge teams, and it's time to bounce back,” Owen said.
“You'd have to say that despite a little bit of ups and downs and inconsistency with Chelsea at the moment, there are some signs of them having a good season. They're up near the top of the table, and individually they've got some very, very good players, particularly in attack. I do think Joao Pedro is one of the most underrated centre forwards and has been for some time. He's probably getting the credit he deserves nowadays and he's been a top-class, classy striker for a number of years now. But he's injured, so he won't be playing in this match, and Danny Welbeck will be replacing him. With Morgan Rodgers and Cole Palmer in behind, it's still a very potent attack that Chelsea have got even without Pedro in the side," he added. (ANI)
Michael Owen predicts 3-1 Chelsea win over Man United in Premier League clash, says Blues have mental edge
