England Premier League
Thursday 5th January 2023
Kick off at 8pm GMT
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Match Preview:
We have a huge match on our hands when Chelsea take on Manchester City on Thursday evening and there is pressure on Graham Potter coming into this one. Chelsea would rank in 16th place on recent form with just 1 win from their last 5 and one can’t believe that the new owners brought in Potter expecting them to be in 10th place. A league challenge wasn’t really on the cards this season but a top four finish was and the Blues come into this game 10 points adrift of that target, and Champions League football next season for a team who won the competition in 2021 looks like a distant dream.
It’s not all bad news for the Blues as they have gone their last two games unbeaten after beating Bournemouth 2-0 and then drawing 1-1 with Nottingham Forest but the result against Forest is a poor result for a club hoping to finish in the top four and they were leading in that game. At home Potter’s side have only lost once so far with four wins and two draws. However it’s only one win from their last three games here.
Manchester City need to take advantage of a rare Arsenal slip as the league leaders drew 0-0 at home to Newcastle. It means that the champions can reduce the gap to five points and any other result will feel like a huge let off for Arsenal. City’s form hasn’t been good coming into this game with 1 win from their last 3 and their last game finished 1-1 at home to lowly Everton, which would have felt like a defeat for Pep Guardiola’s side. City have lost once on the road and won 4 games from seven and that includes their last two with victories over Leicester and Leeds.
Team News:
Chelsea: Edouard Mendy is a doubt with a muscle injury, Armando Broja will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury sustained a few months ago. Ben Chilwell is still out with his hamstring. Wesley Fofana has a knee injury but may return next week. Reece James is about a month away with a knee injury. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is out with his calf and N’Golo Kante is missing for at least another 5 weeks with his hamstring.
Manchester City: Aymeric Laporte is being tipped to return from his back injury and will be assessed. Ruben Dias is out with his hamstring but could return next week.
Chelsea vs Man City Head to Head:
Manchester City won this fixture last season 1-0.
Manchester City have won the last 3 meetings in a row.
Chelsea have failed to beat Manchester City at home in the league for the past three meetings.
The last 4 meetings have all seen under 2.5 goals.
Chelsea vs Man City Prediction:
In essence what we have here are two very good sides with world class players who are not playing to their normal levels. Chelsea are suffering under Potter but that doesn’t mean the Englishman is the wrong choice for the club, in truth he needs time to fit in and adapt his ideas but the Blues have also been missing some key players for an extended time and that is going to take its toll. Victory here though would keep Potter in very good standing and much of their average results would soon be forgotten.
Manchester City haven’t been playing well now for a good 3 months, but even City in gear 3 is most clubs in gear 6, but sometimes they have been found out. Losing at home to Brentford should have been a big wake up call and then drawing at home to Everton in a moment where the Toffees are really struggling is a worrying sign for Guardiola’s side. There passing has been the major issue and up against a well organised team like Chelsea could pose problems. However recent results over the Blues have been very positive and we know when this side click they score goals, but they will need to be working hard behind the scenes. Does Guardiola have a plan b? We are about to find out.
Chelsea vs Man City Betting Tips:
Manchester City to beat Chelsea at 1.62
Anytime goalscorer: Julian Alvarez at 3.00
Under 2.5 goals at 2.00
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