Chelsea v Man City Preview and Betting Tips

Nuno Espirito Santo threw a curveball vs Chelsea and our selection to be shown a card was dropped to the bench. Spurs started the game well but in the second half Chelsea were dominant. They fully deserved their 3-0 win and now their focus switches to Man City. Even at this early stage of the season, this feels like a massive match. Chelsea can move six points clear of their title rivals with a win so Pep Guardiola’s men will be desperate to avoid defeat. The bookies are struggling to split them with both teams priced up at around 2.7 and the draw at 3.3. It promises to be a fantastic tactical tussle between Tuchel and Guardiola, check out our Chelsea v Man City preview and betting tip below.

Chelsea

We are on Chelsea at 6.00 to win the Premier League this season. They are now as short as 2.83 with a couple of firms. Thomas Tuchel’s men have shown flashes of their full potential so far but they have yet to put it all together for the full 90 minutes. Even so, they have yet to taste defeat this season, winning four from five and drawing 1-1 at Anfield after being reduced to 10 men for a half. They looked absolutely lethal in the second half vs Spurs after Tuchel switched to a 3-5-2 formation.

Tuchel took Mount off at half-time and Kante played in the middle with Kovacic and Jorginho. Havertz played off Lukaku and the Belgian managed to find a lot more space in the second period. The question is whether Tuchel will go with the same formation from the start vs Chelsea. Up until now, he has preferred a 3-4-2-1 system but it could be that he thinks that a 3-5-2 formation will enable him to get the best out of Lukaku.

The Chelsea back three picks itself, as does the midfield. The man that could miss out is Mason Mount if Tuchel goes with 3-5-2. Kai Havertz seems to a better fit for the support striker role and Tuchel seems to prefer the German in that position. The only other selection issue for Chelsea is between the sticks. Mendy is struggling with an injury so Kepa may continue in goal. Tuchel’s side will be keen to make a statement on Saturday and if they are in the same form as they were in the second half v Spurs, they could be hard to stop.

Man City

Man City have been tough to predict this season. They have looked imperious in a few of their matches, scoring five vs Norwich and Arsenal and six vs RB Leipzig. However, they looked toothless when losing 1-0 to Spurs and drawing 0-0 against Southampton. So, which version of The Citizens will we see on Saturday? Against a Chelsea team that has conceded just one goal so far this season, you would have to worry for Guardiola’s side.

Their failure to sign a striker looks like it could be very costly. Gabriel Jesus has some good attributes but he just doesn’t score enough goals. Ferran Torres has potential and he is still young but he is hardly someone who is capable of leading the line at this stage of his career, especially against a defence as solid as Chelsea’s.

There seems to be something amiss with Guardiola too. His comments about the fans after the Leipzig game didn’t go down too well with some sections of the fanbase and there doesn’t seem to be a great atmosphere at the club. Maybe the fact that they failed to get Kane has pissed Guardiola off and that is why he has seemed so tetchy at times. City need to forget about the transfer window and focus fully on what lies ahead because if they lose on Saturday, moods will darken even further.

Chelsea v Man City Possible Lineups

Chelsea: Mendy/Kepa, Alonso, Rudiger, Silva, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Havertz, Lukaku.

Man City: Ederson, Walker, Ake, Dias, Cancelo, Gundogan, Fernandinho, Silva, Grealish, Sterling, Jesus.

Chelsea v Man City Betting Tip

All things considered, Chelsea are very hard to oppose here. They beat City in the Champions League final a few months ago and they just look like a better structured and more balanced team right now. There is no doubt that City possess plenty of potential matchwinners, including De Bruyne, Mahrez, Sterling and Jack Grealish. However, their lack of a focal point up top cannot be ignored and they may well struggle to break Chelsea’s mean defence down.

Chelsea have won four of their last five meetings with The Citizens. Thomas Tuchel has a 100% record (3/3) vs City since taking over from Lampard and that cannot be ignored. Chelsea’s midfield trio of Kante, Kovacic and Jorginho are capable of controlling this match and I think the Stamford Bridge faithful will be heading home happy on Saturday afternoon.

As far as a wager goes, I am tempted by Chelsea to win to nil. They have only conceded one goal this season and that was a penalty. Given how tight Chelsea keep things at the back, it may just take one goal to win this match. With Lukaku spearheading their attack, the hosts look the most likely team to score it. The recommended bet is Chelsea to win to nil at 15/4.

Chelsea v Man City Betting Tip: Chelsea to win to nil @ 15/4

Chelsea v Man City Predicted scoreline: Chelsea 1 Man City 0 (17/2)

-DaveStevos