Chelsea v Manchester United Betting: Fernandes tops the table for attempts from range
Manchester United travel to Chelsea on Sunday, a place where they won twice last season. Here at BettingOdds.com we’ve taken a dive into some interesting stats ahead of the game with a focus on shooting from distance. We’ve also got a couple of recommended selections based on our findings with a boost from the boys over at Betfair.
First up let’s take a look at shots on target from outside the box in the Premier League this season. Manchester United lead the way, testing opposition keepers from outside the area on 53 occasions, seven of which resulted in goals.
Most shots on target from outside the box this season
- Man Utd: 53
- Leeds: 40
- Leicester: 39
- Man City: 37
- Wolves: 37
- Aston Villa: 35
Only one of those seven goals from outside the area this season has come courtesy of Bruno Fernandes surprisingly. Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay all have two to their name. However, when it comes to hitting the target from distance this season, Bruno Fernandes is out on his own.
Players with the most shots on target from outside the box this season
- Bruno Fernandes: 16
- James Ward-Prowse: 12
- Marcus Rashford: 11
- James Maddison: 10
- Ruben Neves: 9
- Kevin De Bruyne: 9
- Harry Kane: 9
- Youri Tielemans: 9
- James Rodriguez: 9
- David McGoldrick: 8
- Mason Mount: 7
As you can see Manchester United have players featuring first and third in this list with you having to go down to 11th to find the first Chelsea player in Mason Mount.
We’ve also taken a look at some of the most prolific players for shooting from distance this season and have compared them with a focus on: shots from outside the box, shots on target from outside the box and shots on target from outside the box per 90 minutes.
Why you should be backing United to shoot from distance this weekend
With Chelsea having such a possession-based game under Thomas Tuchel and having considered the stats above, we think one of the best ways for the visitors to find a way in could be through shots from distance. Chelsea have only faced three Premier League opponents at Stamford Bridge since Tuchel took over; Wolves, Burnley and Newcastle.
Both Wolves and Burnley failed to register a shot on target in those games however Newcastle did manage four, two of which came from outside the box courtesy of Jonjo Shelvey.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s masterminded two victories at Stamford Bridge last term, one coming in the Carabao Cup and once in the Premier League. Marcus Rashford scored a peach of a free-kick in one of those games and it would not surprise me to see him try and take one should the opportunity arise from a similar range this weekend.
Betting
With Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford ranking first and third respectively when it comes to shots on target from outside the area this season, we’ve lined up a couple of selections we like the look of.
Paddy Power have given us 7/1 for both Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford to have a shot on target from outside the box at Stamford Bridge this Sunday. We think it is a reasonable price considering the pair have had six shots on target between them from outside the area in their last six league games.
Bruno Fernandes has registered a 0.64 shots on target per 90 minutes in the Premier League which is the highest of any player. Marcus Rashford is not too far behind with 0.40 per 90 minutes and considering United’s appetite for long range shots this season, we’re going to be getting behind this selection on Sunday.
