The final FA Cup tie of the weekend is at Stamford Bridge on Monday night, and afterwards we will know the line up for the quarter finals. Manchester City are through, and whichever team joins them from this tie will be the only other club from the Premier League top six in the draw. There is of course every chance that the winner of this tie could face Manchester City in the next round, and that would open up the door for one of the lower teams to really have a genuine chance of reaching the final and possibly winning it.

Chelsea come here on the back of a win in the Europa League, and they have a 2-1 lead to take into the second leg against Malmo, and with home advantage that should be enough for them. However, their league form has not been as good, and as far as that goes they have lost three out of their last four. The interesting fact is that those three losses have all come away from home, and they are really struggling there right now. Big defeats to Arsenal, Bournemouth and Manchester City are cause for concern, but at home they have been winning, and looked good in parts, especially in the Carabao Cup semi final against Tottenham.

The Blue are currently sixth, and for this season to be a success they either need to turn that into a fourth placed finish, or have success in the cup competitions. They are still in three cups, and play a final in one of them next week, but I still think they will take this very seriously, as they know this is the way to have a successful season if their league form doesn’t pick up.

Manchester United have been on a great run under new boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, although those who are critical of the club will say that their bubble was burst last week in their defeat to PSG. All that showed is that Manchester United do need to invest in their squad, but we all knew that before the game anyway. What Solskjaer has done is turn around the players at the club and get them playing close to the best of their ability, but it is still the same players that were there when Jose Mourinho was in charge.

The summer is going to be a very interesting time for United, not only do they have to decide who they want to take the club forward as manager, but they need to get that sorted quickly, so they can concentrate on investing in the squad.

The Race for the Premier League Top Four

The top three in the Premier League, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham have pulled clear of those below them, and that is going to leave just one top four spot for three clubs to fight for. That should give us an exciting finish, alongside an exciting end to the title race so Premier League fans should be in for a treat over the next three months.

Manchester United hold the fourth spot right now, which is a long way away from what we would have expected when Jose Mourinho was in charge. They are the form team out of these three, and they have come on hugely over the past few games. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can keep the feel good factor up and the team going in the right direction, then they would be favourites to take the final spot.

However, Arsenal and Chelsea below them will fancy their chances of catching up as they are just one point behind United and all three teams have played the same number of games. Arsenal have won four of their last six games, including a win over Chelsea, and they look to be coming together once more after a poor run around Christmas. Just like the other two teams in this race, we have seen enough to know that Arsenal are capable of finishing fourth, but they have to put it together because at least one of the other two is likely to.

That leaves Chelsea in sixth position, with some improvement needed on their recent form, especially away from home, if they are to climb the table and take fourth. They lost a key game to Arsenal, and then were thrashed by Bournemouth shortly after. They were never expected to go to Manchester City and get anything from the game, but to go and be beaten 6-0 was embarrassing for them.

It already feels as though the league is in trouble for Chelsea, and to ensure they come out of the season with a little bit of pride they are going to have to win a cup competition. They have three shots, the Carabao Cup final next weekend, the FA Cup that this game is in and the Europa League, which they are currently favourites to win. I don’t think Chelsea will get fourth, so for me the remainder of this season for Chelsea and how they measure their success all depends on their performance in the three cups they are still in.

Chelsea vs Manchester United Betting Tips

A great way to end the FA Cup weekend, with what is the tie of the round. These two know that other than Manchester City, they are the two clear favourites to win this competition and whoever gets through will fancy their chances of doing well, assuming they can avoid Manchester City in the draw for the next round.

There is little to choose between the two teams, but I will be backing Chelsea to win this game. Their poor performances recently have all been away from home, and they look a lot more comfortable in front of their home fans. When they had a big cup night a few weeks ago against Tottenham they came good and I am hoping to see the same again in this one. Manchester United have been doing well, but were brought back down to earth last week by PSG, and that may make them think twice about things going forward.

This should be good to watch, and both teams are expected to play strong teams as they look to progress in this competition, but the slight edge for me goes with Chelsea here.

Receive exclusive betting tips and offers directly to your inbox. Receive exclusive betting tips and offers. SIGN UP