This is the Chelsea predicted lineup for their Premier League clash with Manchester United as one of the Friday games in the penultimate week of league action. This fixture between two former goliaths comes at an interesting time as the Blues’ young core finally looks stabilised, while the Red Devils have hit new lows. Despite that, both have found their way into European finals and will be hoping to keep their best players fresh and in form for those key outings.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs Manchester United in Premier League Tie
How Chelsea Have Lined Up Recently
There’s a clear disparity between those who would be considered the strongest eleven and the relief players used to rotate. The ‘A-Team’ of sorts features Robert Sanchez in goal with a back four of Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, and Moises Caicedo. Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez make up the starting defensive midfield.
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Noni Madueke on the left wing, Cole Palmer in the middle, and Pedro Neto out right supporting Nicolas Jackson appears to be the strongest attacking four.
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When these players are rested or miss out then Filip Jorgensen, Malo Gusto, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo, Reece James, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Jadon Sancho, and Tyrique George come in. Reggie Walsh made his debut against Djurgardens but likely won’t feature domestically.
Chelsea Recent Form & Tactics
Enzo Maresca has used a 4-2-3-1 for pretty much the entire season as his base setup. From there, the team shifts when in possession to either a 3-2-4-1 or a 2-2-5-1, depending on the opposition. A 3-3-4 was used but hasn’t been seen as much since the move from a box midfield to a diamond. Who inverts and to where is often the biggest tweak made on a match-by-match basis and can reshape how the team plays.
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After a streak of five wins in a row and with just one defeat following the international break, things crashed back down to earth a small bit with the defeat to Newcastle. The 2-0 defeat marked a rare inability to score for the Blues and further emphasised the shakiness and inconsistency of the defence which is either rock solid or prone to letting chances fly at their goal.
Chelsea Absences to Consider
According to PremierInjuries, there are a number of absentees for the manager to deal with. Jackson and Mykhailo Mudryk are both suspended for different reasons while Sancho is unable to face his parent club. Christopher Nkunku, Marc Guiu, and Wesley Fofana are injured. Aaron Anselmino and Omari Kellyman are listed as injured but neither has played a single league minute for Chelsea so likely wouldn’t have featured anyway.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs Manchester United
It will be interesting to see how the coach actually sets the team up for this one. A 4-2-3-1 without a natural striker going against a back five seems like lunacy, instead we could see the squad revert to a temporarily used 4-3-3 which allowed the wingers to drive inside and a full-back to overlap.
GK – Rob Sanchez
LB – Marc Cucurella
CB – Levi Colwill
CB – Trevoh Chalobah
RB – Malo Gusto
DM – Moises Caicedo
CM – Enzo Fernandez
CM – Romeo Lavia
W – Noni Madueke
W – Cole Palmer
ST – Pedro Neto
Featured Image Credit
Chelsea predicted lineup - image of Cole Palmer
IMAGO / Every Second Media
Newcastle United FC v Chelsea FC Cole Palmer Of Chelsea during the Newcastle United FC v Chelsea FC English Premier League match at St.James Park, Newcastle, England, United Kingdom on 11 May 2025 Credit: Lee Keuneke/Every Second Media Editorial use only. All images are copyright Every Second Media Limited. No images may be reproduced without prior permission. All rights reserved. Premier League and Football League images are subject to licensing agreements with Football DataCo Limited. see https://www.football-dataco.com Copyright: xIMAGO/EveryxSecondxMediax ESM-1476-0080 LeexKeunekex/xEveryxSecondxMediax