Ruben Amorim to face three big Manchester United tests as Chelsea endure easiest run in Premier League
Manchester United are three days away from seeing Rubén Amorim make his debut on the wing with the club.
He Portuguese coach He became Erik ten Hag's successor earlier this month after a successful spell at Sporting Lisbon.
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Amorim's first game in charge in United Sunday is coming in the town of Ipswichwith his new club currently 13th in the Premier League.
It is a position that a club of their stature and success will be eager to improve as they enter football's hectic festive period.
United will be hoping his latest appointment can help achieve just that, with Amorim twice winning the Portugal League title at Sporting.
A new era is about to begin at Old Trafford, but the statistics show his first run of games will be far from kind to his new boss.
MORE ABOUT THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Welcome to the Premier League, Rubén
This weekend's trip to Ipswich will offer the perfect opportunity for United to win again with Amorim in charge.
They are 17th in the Premier League and have won just one of their 11 games, a 2-1 win at Tottenham before the international break.
United will then face Everton at home before the next three of their next five league games offer major tests.
opt statistics we have them seventh in their match difficulty rankings for this time period with an average opponent rating of 90.8.
Premier League title contenders Arsenal will host United in the first week of December in a match that could be decisive in the race for Europe.
Next up are Nottingham Forest, who have so far beaten league leaders Liverpool and sealed a point against fellow high-flyers Chelsea.
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Arch-rivals Manchester City will be their last opponent for the next five games in what will be Amorim's first taste of their local derby.
While United are not at the top of the table, the last three games will certainly test their team's strengths and weaknesses.
Southampton have the toughest run coming up against Liverpool, Brighton, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Spurs, with an average opponent rating of 93.1.
Brighton have the easiest schedule thanks to a score of 86.1, as they will play relegation candidates Southampton and Crystal Palace.
Will Chelsea go for the title?
Chelsea are third in the table, nine points behind league leaders Liverpool, but their upcoming games represent an opportunity.
According to Opta's difficulty statistics for the next ten matches, it is Chelsea who expect the easiest race with an average opponent rating of 87.0.
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The Blues return from the November international break with a trip to 15th-placed Leicester City on Saturday. live on talkSPORT.
Villa will then travel to Stamford Bridge before Enzo Maresca The team heads to Southampton, which is at the bottom of the table.
Back-to-back London derbies against Spurs and Brentford will follow before a visit to Everton on December 22.
Chelsea return home to face SW6 neighbors Fulham on Boxing Day, with the away game against Ipswich being their last game of 2024.
They open 2025 by heading south of the capital to play Palace before Bournemouth becomes their 10th league test.
Brighton are closer to matching Chelsea's lowest average opponent rating given their rating of 87.7 in the coming weeks.
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Everton have the toughest run of all with a rating of 92.0, while teams like United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, City, Forest and Villa are next.
Once the next ten rounds of matches are completed, fans will be able to better understand how the season could play out.
Liverpool hope to stay at the top of the Premier League ahead of defending champions City, who are already five points behind them.
Chelsea and Arsenal will compete for the final two spots in the top four, although they currently face competition from Forest and Brighton.
Ipswich, Palace, Wolves and Southampton will be desperate to see their win tally rise from just one in the coming weeks.
The bottom three clubs occupy the relegation spots as of now and could be part of the race for survival if they do not improve.
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