English Premier League: Chelsea vs. Manchester City Preview, Odds, Prediction

Chelsea and Manchester City bring the first big Premier League derby in 2021, The two sides are title contenders according to most of the experts, with the note that Guardiola’s squad has way more chances than the Blues. Judging by the way hosts played over the past few weeks, nobody would give them any chances of lifting the trophy, but still, there is a long way until the end of the campaign, and anything can happen. City had a pause they definitely didn’t plan due to the COVID-19 cases in their team, but this is something which might be beneficial for the Citizens as they have more time to rest than Chelsea. 

Preview

Chelsea (+200) suffered several big-time losses since the middle of December, mostly against teams from the upper part of the EPL standings, Everton, Wolves, and Arsenal. They couldn’t beat Aston Villa at Stamford in the last game played before the New Year, and the frustration among the entire Chelsea fanbase (as well as among the players) following that event was enormous. 

After a stretch of 13 games without a defeat, the majority of them in which Chelsea kept its net intact, the team from London had a blackout in its performances, especially in the back line. Only once over the recent seven matches did they posted clean sheets. 

The Blues didn’t lose at Stamford in the previous 11 matches, but they didn’t win during that period as many of you would think, just six games. 

Manchester City (+125) is in a good mood, and we strongly believe that Guardiola targets the form of his team for the latter part of the season. In our humble opinion, this guy sets up a tactic that sees the Citizens losing as little power as possible, only to have his players in top shape once the battles for the trophies start. 

City keeps the ball in its possession and slows down the tempo, not allowing the rivals to create chances by not giving him the ball. Check this out, three games in the past ten this team played concluded with three or more goals. On the other side, they recorded eight clean sheets. 

All this because Guardiola learned from his previous experiences when City dominated early on, securing the EPL title, but losing the Champions League’s final stages. 

Latest News

Reece James is out for Chelsea, while Hakim Ziyech still isn’t cleared by the medical staff. 

Ederson, Gabriel Jesus, and Kyle Walker all have COVID-19 and won’t play. 

Head to Head Games

Both Chelsea and City are even in the past five events, posting two wins each with one draw in the Carabao Cup (City won after penalties that one). All the wins were recorded at home.

Prediction

We are all in for under 2.5 goals. It seems risky, but we don’t see it like that, mostly because of the City’s play style. They want to impose a slow pace and won’t be too open, while on the other side, Chelsea will wait for counter-attacks against the guests, trying to utilize some of their mistakes, if any happens at all. Therefore, under 2.5 goals with the odds at -135.