Chelsea will receive Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in London on the Matchday 13 of the 2022-23 Premier League season on Saturday, October 22, 2022. It will be their 61st Premier League derby meeting.
Interestingly, Manchester United have been the slight favorites in head-to-head duels, winning 18 games so far; Chelsea have celebrated a victory 17 times to this day, and the remaining 25 matches have ended in a draw so far.
Their most recent game was played on April 28, 2022, when Cristiano Ronaldo salvaged a 1-1 thriller draw at Old Trafford in Manchester in the 2021-22 Premier League season. It promises to be an even more exciting clash as they meet for the first time in the 2022/2023 Premier League season, this time without the Portuguese veteran.
Manchester United vs Chelsea: Why Cristiano Ronaldo will not play?
As was predicted, Cristiano Ronaldo has not been named on Manchester United's roster for Saturday's game against Chelsea. United beat Tottenham 2-0 on Wednesday, but Ronaldo refused to come off the bench and instead went back to the locker room before the game was completed.
As a result, Erik ten Hag had the striker train individually with fitness trainers on Friday. In addition, the 37-year-old was left out of the team to face the Blues away at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night after manager Ten Hag warned of 'consequences' for the striker's conduct at a news conference before the match against Chelsea: “I am the manager, I am responsible for the top sport culture here and I have to set standards and values and I have to control them. We are a team and in the team, we have values and standards and I have to control that.”
The manager made a reference to Ronaldo departing Old Trafford before the conclusion of the friendly against Rayo Vallecano in July when the striker was removed at half-time: "After Rayo Vallecano, I told [him] it was unacceptable but he was not the only one. But that is for everyone, so when it’s the second time there will be consequences. That is now what we did. We miss him tomorrow, it’s a miss for us, for the squad, but I think it’s important for the attitude and mentality of the group and now we have to focus on Chelsea as that is the most important thing.”
The Red Devils boarded a plane and headed to London, and, as was widely anticipated, Ronaldo did not make the trip. The Sun report that United stand behind Ten Hag 100 percent in his role as first-team disciplinarian. Even yet, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is still seen as a vital cog in their machine.
