"Hopefully I play and score a few goals" - Chelsea star makes claim ahead of PL fixture against Manchester United

Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer has shared his thoughts ahead of their big Premier League clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday, December 6.

Palmer joined the Blues from Manchester City for a reported fee of £45 million. He has since made 13 appearances across competitions, scoring four goals and providing four assists. He also scored the equaliser via a penalty in their 4-4 draw against City last month.

The west London side will now travel to face Manchester United and Palmer is hoping to get on the scoresheet again. He shared that some of his friends are United fans and will be at the stadium, saying (via Chelseafc.com):

"I’m relishing the game. I’ve never played at Old Trafford, so hopefully I play and score a few goals!

"I’ve got a few friends who will be there who are United fans. They will be in the United end. Then my other mates will be in the Chelsea end. A few of my family are City fans, a few are United. It’ll be interesting."

Palmer was interestingly left out for the Blues' 3-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge at the weekend.

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Mauricio Pochettino on Chelsea's squad settling in ahead of Manchester United clash

The Blues appointed Mauricio Pochettino as manager in the summer but the Argentine had a tough start to the campaign. They found themselves in the bottom half of the table after some poor results.

However, Chelsea appear to have improved in recent times despite some negative results. They have won two of their last four Premier League games, lost one, and drawn one. They beat Brighton 3-2 in their last game despite being down to 10 men in the second half after Conor Gallagher's sending-off.

In a pre-match press conference, Pochettino was asked about his side settling in while Manchester United appeared to have troubles on and off the pitch. The Argentine answered (via Football.London):

"I am focused on my club. We need to do much better. It's a process that I can explain but never compare with another club. Little by little we are building something we believe is going to be amazing for the future of the club, that is about a period of time and earning the thing that we want. Never to compare to another club because I think it is not fair."

Chelsea are currently 10th in the league, five points behind Manchester United. The corresponding fixture ended in a 4-1 win for the Red Devils in May last season.