Lampard to start as Chelsea 5/4 to beat Manchester United
Published:Chelsea’s chances of collecting a crucial three points against Manchester United to blow the Premier League title race wide open again have been boosted by the news that Frank Lampard is set to start in the fixture.
A run of five games without a win in the league has sparked rumours of a crisis at Stamford Bridge and has also resulted in Chelsea’s betting odds to beat their chief title rivals reaching a particularly large 5/4.
Lampard has not started a game since August because of some injury niggles, but did make a late substitute appearance in the recent away draw at Tottenham.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti is now ready to throw Lampard in from the start in a game that could make or break Chelsea’s season as early as December.
Chelsea are already three points behind Manchester United in the Premier League standings, while the Red Devils have the added luxury of a game in hand at Blackpool.
A lack of goals from midfield in Lampard’s absence has been one of Chelsea’s main problems, particularly as Didier Drogba has been in the middle of a mini drought and Nicolas Anelka has netted just three in the league all season.
After a bright start to the campaign, Florent Malouda has failed to score in Chelsea’s last eight Premier League games, while Lampard’s replacement Ramires has struggled to live up to expectations since switching from Benfica.
The bad news for Chelsea is that Lampard does not have the greatest scoring record against Manchester United for Chelsea in the top flight.
He has not scored in his last ten league games with the Red Devils, with his last goal coming from the penalty spot in a 1-0 success at Stamford Bridge in 2003.
A £10 bet Chelsea beating Manchester United 1-0 and Lampard scoring the only goal would pay out £400. New Ladbrokes customers can sign up here for a free £10 bet.
