Chelsea may be worried as Premier League make announcement ahead of Chelsea vs Manchester United

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Chelsea host Manchester United on Friday night in a pivotal game of their season.

The Blues are currently preparing to face Man Utd at Stamford Bridge in their final home match of the 2024/25 campaign.

It is Chelsea’s penultimate fixture of the Premier League season, with a trip to Nottingham Forest on the final day.

Enzo Maresca’s side are just about clinging on to Champions League qualification right now, but they have two more fixtures to overcome to stay in the top five positions.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	36	25	8	3	83	37	46	83
2	ArsenalArsenal	36	18	14	4	66	33	33	68
3	NewcastleNewcastle	36	20	6	10	68	45	23	66
4	Man CityManchester City	36	19	8	9	67	43	24	65
5	ChelseaChelsea	36	18	9	9	62	43	19	63
6	Aston VillaAston Villa	36	18	9	9	56	49	7	63
7	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	36	18	8	10	56	44	12	62

Of course, Nicolas Jackson’s red card against Newcastle United means the central striker is unavailable for the rest of the league season.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see who leads the line in a few days’ time versus Man Utd. At the moment, we’d guess it’s among Cole Palmer, Tyrique George or Pedro Neto to start as a false nine.

• READ MORE: How Newcastle’s defenders got into Nicolas Jackson’s head before sending off

Premier League announce Chris Kavanagh as referee for Chelsea vs Manchester United

It’s been announced via the Premier League’s official website that Chris Kavanagh, 39, is the referee for Chelsea versus Man Utd on Friday evening.

Chelsea supporters may become even more worried about the crunch fixture against Man Utd when they look at their record this season with Kavanagh officiating.

The reality is it shouldn’t matter who’s officiating Friday night’s contest, but Blues fans may be looking for any potential omens during an anxious time of the season.

A record of one win in six games under Kavanagh this campaign may crank up the anxiety of the fanbase a little bit more.

Kavanagh is one of the most trusted referees in this country right now, taking charge of 24 Premier League matches this season. In fact, only Michael Oliver (25) and Anthony Taylor (30) have officiated more top-flight games.

Jamie Carragher’s latest prediction on Chelsea is that they miss out on Champions League following the setback against Newcastle. If the Blues beat Man Utd this week, they will go into the final day knowing their destiny is still in their own hands.

Chelsea and Manchester United head to head

In truth, Man Utd have had an appalling league season, sitting 16th position in the division table.

The saving grace for Ruben Amorim’s side is the Europa League final against Tottenham, which takes place just five days after their trip to Chelsea.

In recent years, there hasn’t been a great deal to split Man Utd and Chelsea.

Chelsea’s season hinges on the match against Man Utd, while their opponents must have more than one eye on the Europa League final less than a week later. However, you can take nothing for granted in football, especially towards the business end of the season.