Chelsea vs Man City Preview and Betting Tip

The FA Cup takes centre stage this weekend and what a corker of a semi-final we have at Wembley on Saturday evening. Chelsea vs Man City kicks off at 5.30 pm and you can watch it live on BBC1. Thomas Tuchel’s men come into the game as underdogs at odds of 15/4. The Citizens can be backed at 5/6 and if you fancy it to go to extra time, the draw is chalked up at 13/5. Can Chelsea pull off the upset, or will City continue their march towards an unbelievable quadruple? Whatever unfolds, it should be an intriguing contest and hopefully, the game lives up to its billing.

Improving Chelsea

Since Thomas Tuchel took the reins at Chelsea their main area of improvement is obvious. They are a much better side defensively than they were under Lampard. Tuchel’s organisational skills are on another level and bar the 5-2 aberration vs West Brom, they have let in very few goals under the German tactician. If you discount the West Brom result, Chelsea have conceded just 4 goals in 17 games. That defensive solidity will be required if they are to prevail on Saturday.

Chelsea weren’t overly impressive in either leg vs Porto in their Champions League quarter-final. They were gifted their two goals in the 2-0 first-leg win and they fired a blank in the second leg 1-0 defeat. The Blues always looked comfortable but they didn’t convince going forward and that is an area that Tuchel really needs to work on. Havertz and Werner have been bitterly disappointing given the hype that greeted their arrivals. They banged the goals in when playing in the Bundesliga last season. However, they have found life in England a whole lot tougher.

Mason Mount is the man that holds the key in attack for this Chelsea team. He has quick feet, great vision and he is an excellent finisher too. He can’t do it all on his own every week though and he needs more help from his teammates. The likes of Havertz, Werner, Pulisic and Ziyech have to step up to the plate on Saturday if they start. This Chelsea team will need to be at their best at both ends of the pitch if they are to have any hope of knocking Man City out and advancing to the FA Cup Final.

Quadruple Dream Still Alive For City

Things are looking rather rosy for Pep and Man City at the moment. They sit top of the Premier League which looks all but over. They are in the League Cup final where they will take on Spurs and they also qualified for a Champions League semi-final in midweek. Now, they have the chance to keep their Quadruple dreams alive by reaching the FA Cup Final. They are a best price of just 9/2 to win all four competitions now (crap odds if you ask me) and I don’t think it’ll be easy for them on Saturday v Chelsea.

They had a really tough game against Dortmund in midweek and they had to work hard to get the result they needed. Guardiola only made one substitution during the second leg and that was after 88 minutes (Sterling for Mahrez). I think he will make a good few changes vs Chelsea. The likes of Sterling, Torres, Mendy, Laporte, Jesus and Joao Cancelo are all likely to come into the team. No.2 keeper Steffen has started in previous FA Cup rounds so he could play a part too.

As Leeds showed last weekend, this City side is not invincible. Marcelo Bielsa’s team needed an injury-time goal to seal victory but they opened City up two or three times in the early stages without scoring. Pep’s side have conceded 4 goals in their last 3 games and that will give Chelsea hope that they can net at least once. Whether that will be enough is up for debate, especially with the attacking talent possessed by Man City.

Chelsea vs Man City Road To The Semi-Final

As you can see, the draw has been kind to both teams in the FA Cup up to this point. Chelsea had to overcome Morecambe, Luton and Barnsley before they beat Sheffield Utd 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to book their semi-final spot. Man City avoided Premier League opposition until the quarters too. They beat Birmingham, Cheltenham and Swansea in the first three rounds. The Citizens sealed their semi-final berth with a 2-0 win vs Everton at Goodison Park.  

Chelsea vs Man City Betting Tip

I think that this could be a tight and tense affair on Saturday. Tuchel’s Chelsea are hardly known for playing expansive, attacking football. Their number one priority will be ensuring that they keep City at bay for as long as they can.

For City, it is simply all about the final result. As they get closer to the holy grail of the quadruple the pressure will ramp up. At the business end of the season it will be all about grinding out results, rather than putting on a spectacle of slick, attractive football.

In my opinion, the most likely outcome on Saturday is a low score draw, extra time and quite possibly penalties. Unfortunately, the bookies haven’t exactly taken any chances. The draw looks correctly priced at around 13/5. However, the 3/1 about N’Golo Kante to be shown a card looks like a decent value bet.

The French midfielder will almost certainly start as Mateo Kovacic is out injured. He has been shown a total of 6 yellow cards in the EPL this season, two more than any other Chelsea player. He was also booked when these two teams last met in the Premier League. With City likely to dominate territory and possession on Saturday, there is every chance he could be booked again. At odds of 3/1, N’Golo Kante to be shown a card is the recommended bet.

Chelsea vs Man City Tips: N’Golo Kante to be shown a card @ 3/1 William Hill/Skybet

Key Quotes – Chelsea vs Man City

Thomas Tuchel – “I don’t think both teams are chess teams. English football, City’s game, our game is about intensity without the ball. So I expect a high intensity match. City define themselves with a clear DNA and style. They want the ball and high ball recoveries. We want that too so we have to fight for these moments and make them suffer.”

Pep Guardiola – “Every manager plays in the way they play. Frank did an incredible job in the first season when he could not sign players and qualified for the Champions League. I admire both as a person and a manager. Tomorrow we face Thomas. He knows how I admire him and how good he is as a manager. It will be a good battle.”

Dave Stevos