Former England and Manchester United forward Michael Owen has predicted a 3-1 victory for Chelsea over Manchester United in their Premier League fixture on October 31, citing Chelsea’s mental advantage ahead of the match.
Chelsea, currently fifth in the league standings, seek to recover from their recent defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and strengthen their position in the race for a top-four finish. Manchester United will aim to return to winning ways following their loss to Bournemouth.
Speaking in an interview shared by JioStar, Owen analysed both teams and highlighted Chelsea’s mental edge, home advantage, and in-form wingers as key factors. He also identified weaknesses in Manchester United’s defence and stated that the club’s issues extend beyond manager Michael Carrick, noting growing discontent among fans towards the board, hierarchy, and players.
Owen said, “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 added, “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.”
Owen noted that both clubs are looking to bounce back after their recent defeats. He acknowledged Chelsea’s inconsistency but praised their attacking capabilities, particularly the contributions of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. Owen described Joao Pedro as an underrated, top-class striker who will miss the match due to injury, with Danny Welbeck set to replace him.
He commented, “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 added, “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.”