Man City vs Chelsea Preview and Betting Tip
Man City vs Chelsea Preview
It wasn’t to be for Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Monday. They had enough chances to win the match, they just failed to take them. The Premier League is back in the spotlight on Saturday and the big match is Man City vs Chelsea. It may only be mid-January but this match feels like a title decider. City can go 13 points clear with victory and they are the 4/6 favourites. A draw wouldn’t be a bad result for them either and you can get odds of 31/10 about the stalemate. Nothing but a win will do for Chelsea and they are priced up at 22/5 on the Exchange.
Man City
In the summer when Man City failed to sign Harry Kane it looked like they were set to struggle. How can City expect to win the EPL without a striker, they haven’t got enough goals in the team etc. That was the common consensus a few months ago but look at them now. Pep Guardiola’s side have thrived and they look like strolling to their fourth Premier League title in five years. Strikerless City are the top scorers in the division (53 goals) and when you combine that with the best defence (conceded 13), it is no surprise to see them 10 points clear at the top.
The Citizens simply can’t stop winning right now. Since their 2-0 loss vs Palace in late October, they have lost just once and that was a dead rubber vs RB Leipzig. City have won 14/15 in all competitions and 11 in a row in the Premier League. Pep’s side netted 13 goals in their last two home matches (7-0 v Leeds; 6-3 v Leicester) and they have kept three clean sheets in their last five matches at the Etihad.
City haven’t had nearly as many issues with Covid as most other teams in the Premier League. However, Foden and Zinchenko have tested positive and they will be missing on Saturday, as will Riyad Mahrez (AFCON). Mahrez (6 goals/4 assists) and Foden (5 goals/3 assists) are big losses but you would expect the likes of Grealish, Jesus, Sterling and De Bruyne to step up in their absence. If they play as well as they have in recent weeks, it is hard to see City losing this match.
Chelsea
A few weeks ago, it looked like Thomas Tuchel’s men were on course to mount a serious title challenge. However, a run of just three wins in nine games has derailed the Chelsea train and they now find themselves in what looks like last chance saloon. The Blues have drawn four of their last five in the EPL, including at home vs Everton, Brighton and Liverpool. Draws just won’t get the job done when you are up against a rival like Man City and if they fail to win this, they’ll be looking nervously over their shoulders at the likes of West Ham and Arsenal.
Chelsea’s biggest problem has been scoring goals, though they have also struggled to keep enough clean sheets in the last few weeks. Their only shutout in the EPL in the last nine games came against Wolves (0-0) and for a coach that prides himself on defensive organisation, that will be very worrying. Big money signing Romelu Lukaku has scored just five Premier League goals, two less than top scorer Mason Mount.
However, it would be too easy to blame Chelsea’s woes on the big Belgian. The likes of Havertz (2 goals), Werner (1 goal), Pulisic (3 goals) and Ziyech (1 goal) haven’t delivered the goods and they’ll need to up their production rates markedly in the next few months if Chelsea want to hang onto City’s coat tails. James (hamstring), Chalobah (hamstring), Mendy (AFCON) and Chilwell (knee) are Chelsea’s only absentees but even with a relatively strong squad, it could be a struggle for The Blues on Saturday.
Man City vs Chelsea Possible Lineups
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodri, Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling, Grealish, Jesus.
Chelsea: Kepa, Alonso, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen, Sarr, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Mount, Lukaku.
Man City vs Chelsea Betting Tip
On recent form there should only be one winner of this. City have been scintillating in the past couple of months but Chelsea will draw hope from their record v City under Tuchel. He has led his team to victory in three of his four meetings with City, including in the FA Cup semi-final and Champions League final. Man City did win the last time these two teams played, 1-0 at Stamford Bridge back in September.
Three of the last four matches between these rivals have finished 1-0. Given how strong City are at the back (7 clean sheets in 10 home EPL games), it would be no surprise to see a similar scoreline on Saturday. 2/1 about City to win to nil appeals and at odds of 8/1, Man City to win 1-0 is worth a small interest too.
