Chelsea vs. Manchester United Betting Odds, EPL Prediction, Match Preview

Chelsea is riding a five-match winning streak and they are the Premier League betting favorite facing a Manchester United squad that snapped their three-match losing streak in their last match.

Chelsea sits in second place in the league table, one point behind Manchester City, while Manchester United is in seventh place, nine points back of the Blues.

Arsenal may take over first place in the Premier League with a win on Monday night over Aston Villa, where the Gunners are the big -240 favorites at books monitored by Odds Shark.

The Blues have conceded the second-fewest goals in the league and they have posted three straight clean sheets.

As of Monday, Chelsea is the Premier League betting favorite, posted at -125 with Manchester United at +320 and a draw line of +275.

Man U will need to focus on defending here, as their offense remains compromised by the absence of injured Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney, who have combined for 16 goals this season.

Danny Welbeck found the back of the net in Man U’s last match and he ranks second on the squad in goals. He has a lot of pressure on him to pace the offense with Rooney and Van Persie out.

Even though Man U beat Swansea City 2-0 in their last match, they lost the time of possession battle 61 percent to 39 percent. If that happens against Chelsea, the Red Devils will not be leaving Stamford Bridge with a win.

Chelsea has scored nine goals in their last four matches, and five players have a goal in their last three. They do not feature one big gun, but several players can be counted on for secondary scoring.

Six players for the Blues have at least three goals on the season and Fernando Torres is playing well with a couple of goals in his last three matches.

Petr Cech leads a Chelsea defense that will be tough to break down. Manchester United has to key the offense from the midfield, but the Blues are very strong in that area of the pitch and the Red Devils have their work cut out for them.

Last season, Chelsea lost to Man U at home in league play, but did beat them at Stamford Bridge in the Capital One Cup.

Man U has not beaten a top club on the road this season with losses at Manchester City and Liverpool. Few EPL soccer bettors were surprised to see them open as underdogs against the Blues.

Prediction: 3-1 Chelsea