Manchester City vs Chelsea Prediction

Manchester City’s home game against Chelsea will see fifth place take on fourth as the Premier League chase for Champions League football next season starts to heat up.

Manchester City seem to have finally left their spectacular slump behind, and are currently on a six game unbeaten run, with the highlight of that coming in their last fixture, a 6-0 win at Ipswich Town.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have dragged themselves out of their own mini slump, after beating Wolves on Monday night to end a five game winless run in the league. With the two sides separated by just two points, and with identical records in front of goal, this promises to be a huge game in both teams’ seasons.

As the crucial game approaches, here is everything you need to know about both sides ahead of kick-off.

Key Statistics

• Man City have scored 22 goals in their last five competitive games, the most of any side in England's top four leagues.
• Erling Haaland lies second in the golden boot race with 17 goals, one behind Liverpool’s Mo Salah. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer sits on 14 goals.
• Prior to their victory over Wolves, Chelsea’s run of five games without a win was their longest streak without victory under Enzo Maresca.
• Chelsea haven’t beaten City in their last 11 attempts, with their last victory coming in the 2021 Champions League final.

Manchester City Preview

Manchester City Predicted Lineup (3-2-4-1): Ederson (GK); Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji; Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan; Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Matheus Nunes; Erling Haaland.

Now unbeaten in six games, and with three wins in their last four Premier League fixtures, City have re-entered the conversation surrounding Champions League qualification contenders. For a while, it seemed the shock results would never end, but with Guardiola being Guardiola, it was never going to last more than a couple months.

However, they will come into this one wounded after a disappointing defeat to PSG in the Champions League. Leading 2-0 with just over half an hour remaining, they somehow contrived to lose 4-2 to put them on the brink of elimination

That being said, they know they will move above Chelsea with a victory, and boasting such a one-sided recent head to head record, Guardiola’s men will be confident of doing exactly that. Thankfully, their injury crisis has subsided, with only John Stones and Nathan Ake possibly unavailable for this one.

Chelsea Preview

Chelsea Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Robert Sanchez (GK); Marc Cuccurella, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James; Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez; Jadon Sancho, Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto; Nicolas Jackson.

With the monkey of Chelsea’s winless streak finally off his back, Enzo Maresca will be feeling a lot more positive heading into this one. Playing against an in-form but still mentally fragile Manchester City, he will know that if his side plays how they did in the first half of the season, they will be in with a serious chance of three points.

The shrinking injured list is certainly a help; Reece James has returned like he never left, and both Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia stand a good chance of starting this weekend after dealing with respective knocks. In addition, Trevoh Chalobah immediatly slotted into the team effectively after his return from his loan spell at Crystal Palace.

However, they need to improve in front of goal. Of the four goals they scored in their winless run, three of them were through Palmer, and as good as he is, he can’t carry the team by himself. Jackson needs to rediscover his confidence, and their wingers need to start contributing more in front of goal.

Manchester City vs Chelsea Head to Head

Recent Meetings:

• 18/08/2024: Chelsea 0-2 Man City.
• 20/04/2024: Man City 1-0 Chelsea.
• 17/02/2024: Man City 1-1 Chelsea.
• 12/11/2023: Chelsea 4-4 Man City.
• 21/05/2023: Man City 1-0 Chelsea.

Manchester City vs Chelsea Betting Tip

The last few meetings between the two sides have been full of excitement. No one can forget the astonishing 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge last season, and the FA Cup semi-final that finished 1-0 could have finished 4-3 either way.

We reckon this will be a high scoring game, with over 3.5 goals, and surprisingly we predict Chelsea to come out as surprise winners, which will consolidate them in fourth place.

Manchester City vs Chelsea Final Prediction

Manchester City 2-3 Chelsea

This will be an incredibly tough game to call throughout, and both sides will have chances to win it. However, Chelsea will just edge it, avenging their home defeat to the Cityzens on the first day of the season.