Steve Nicol believes Chelsea will pip Manchester United in the race for the final Champions League spot in the Premier League, as a result of the signing of Gonzalo Higuain.
Chelsea returned to fourth in the league table following their 5-0 spanking of bottom-placed Huddersfield Town at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the Premier League.
Higuain, who joined Chelsea on a loan deal until the end of the season in January, scored his first two goals for the club, as he bagged a brace on his full league debut at home for the club.
Even with Manchester United muscling their way into the race for a top-four finish, the former Liverpool star feels that Chelsea will still end up securing Champions League football for next season due to the arrival of Higuain.
“I'm going to say, Chelsea, just because of the Higuain signing”, Nicol said on the ESPN FC show.
“Chelsea may have faced the adversity that they are going to, yes, I'm not a huge fan of what [Maurizio] Sarri has been doing off the field but, I think on the field he's still got a lot of quality.”
The Blues, who are just two points ahead of Manchester United at the moment, will next face Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
