Ex-Chelsea star Joe Cole is confident Enzo Maresca’s will beat Manchester United (Picture: Getty)
Joe Cole has backed Chelsea to come away from Old Trafford with a 1-0 victory and believes his former club are ‘two years ahead’ of where Manchester United find themselves on their cycle.
The Red Devils are languishing down in 14th place after a dismal start to the Premier League season and the side’s miserable run of results ultimately cost Erik ten Hag his job on Monday.
United chiefs acted quickly to secure Ten Hag’s replacement, with Ruben Amorim officially appointed this afternoon, though the Portuguese will remain in charge of Sporting until the next international break.
This means United will once again by led by Ruud van Nistelrooy, who began his stint as interim boss with an entertaining Carabao Cup last-16 win over Leicester on Wednesday night.
Chelsea, by comparison, have enjoyed a promising start to the 2024/25 campaign under new manager Enzo Maresca and could move into the top four should results go their way this weekend.
And while Sunday’s visitors have won just two of their last five matches in all competitions, ex-Chelsea and England winger Cole is confident Maresca’s men will secure maximum points at the Theatre of Dreams.
‘I think Chelsea will go to Old Trafford and win,’ Cole told Paddy Power.
Amorim will remain in charge of Sporting for the club’s next three games (Picture: Getty)
‘Put aside the League Cup game against Newcastle, and Chelsea’s form has been great. They are probably about two years ahead of where Manchester United are right now.
‘They have lots of young players and I think they’ll go there and enjoy the challenge.
‘Manchester United will turn up but Chelsea will win the game. It’ll be tight because Chelsea haven’t won at Old Trafford since 2013, but I fancy a 1-0 Chelsea win.’
Van Nistelrooy remains United’s interim manager for the time being (Picture: Getty)
Reece James responded to Maresca’s recent criticism with an impressive all-round display in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat of Newcastle last time out in the English top flight.
Given James’ history of injury problems, Cole hopes the club captain is eased back into the fold with a degree of caution when it comes to his workload.
‘It’s massively important for Chelsea that Reece James stays fit, but it’s also massively important for Reece himself,’ he added.
‘I hold out hope for him and his body because they’ve been very smart with Wesley Fofana, giving him strict rules of only playing one game per week. I imagine Reece would be given that sort of routine.
Cole has urged Chelsea to be cautious with James’ workload (Picture: Getty)
‘He’s a Ferrari and you can only take him out for a spin once a week. He’s a real athlete but the body is fragile so for him and the longer he can keep playing a consistent number of games, his body will get stronger, and he’ll get more confidence.
‘Then maybe in a year, or 18 months, they can throw an …read more
Source:: Metro
