Form guide & next two matches following Man City defeat

Chelsea were very much on the undercard of their trip to Manchester City on Sunday, with the home side’s title celebrations taking most of the spotlight.

It wasn’t the goal-laden encounter many were expecting, with only a Julian Alvarez goal separating the two sides at the Etihad. As fans streamed onto the field at full time, the mood in the Blues squad must have paled significantly to the boisterous home crowd.

There’s still a few more opportunities for Chelsea to end the season on a high, though recent form hints at another defeat or two.

Here’s a rundown on their recent form and who they’ll take on in their final two games to finish the 2022/23 season.

To conclude a winless April, Chelsea suffered two 2-0 defeats to Real Madrid and Brentford, with the former eliminating them from the Champions League.

Chelsea then had a week to recover but resumed proceedings in a similar manner when they shipped three goals to city rivals Arsenal, a hapless showing complemented only by Noni Madueke’s consolation.

Frank Lampard managed his first victory since returning when his side travelled to in-form Bournemouth and won 3-1. As things started to look up, a 2-2 draw with now safe Nottingham Forest followed.

The Blues visited a largely rotated Manchester City on Sunday and managed to stay in sight of the newly crowned Premier League champions but still left empty-handed due to Julian Alvarez’s early strike.

Manchester United vs Chelsea – Premier League

Chelsea make another trip up to Manchester just four days after their slender defeat to City to face United.

Casemiro’s 94th-minute header drew things level at Stamford Bridge last time around, earning United a point after Jorginho’s trademark penalty just seven minutes prior.

Neither team have recorded a victory in this fixture since Chelsea won 3-1 in the FA Cup back in July of 2020. The hosts will yearn for three points but only need one to secure Champions League qualification. The visitors would quite like a win too to finish their atrocious season on some sort of positive note.

A rampant Newcastle on the last day of the season? No thanks.

Chelsea have not been blessed with the easiest of run-ins with the Manchester double before taking on one of the most in-form teams in the country. All three outings are within a week of each other.

Eddie Howe’s third-placed Magpies have been on fire as of late, scoring 26 goals in their last nine outings. However, it was only a Joe Willock goal that separated the pair at St James’ Park in November.

Callum Wilson has scored three braces in the last five matches and will arrive at Stamford Bridge in fine scoring form with one eye on Chelsea’s defensive frailties.