Big Match Breakdown: Manchester City v Chelsea
Published:
Team news, stats and tips ahead of PL clash
Manchester City will be looking for their third win in a week when they face Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.
The Citizens have beaten Arsenal 3-0 in back-to-back encounters to secure the Carabao Cup and tighten their grip on the Premier League.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have slipped to fifth in the table and require three points to ramp up the pressure on Tottenham Hotspur in fourth.
The Coral News Team have looked over all of the key areas in another Big Match Breakdown…
Head-to-Head
There hasn’t been a lot to split these two in recent years. Both sides have won three games apiece since the start of the 2015/16 season. Only one of City’s wins has come at the Etihad – a 3-0 success in 2015.
Earlier this season, Kevin De Bruyne scored the only goal of the game as the Citizens secured a narrow 1-0 success at Stamford Bridge.
Likely XIs
Pep Guardiola could keep with the same team which saw off Arsenal on Thursday night. Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany are expected to retain their positions at centre-half. Meanwhile, Ilkay Gundogan should continue to deputise in the absence of Fernandinho. Raheem Sterling is pushing for a first start since 13th February.
Chelsea have no new injury problems to deal with ahead of today’s game. David Luiz, Ross Barkley and Tiemoue Bakayoko all remain out. Cesc Fabregas could replace Danny Drinkwater in midfield, while Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud are vying for the sole spot up-front.
Key Battles
The visitors will need to be disciplined if they want to get anything out of this game. N’Golo Kante, in particular, will be crucial for the Blues. A tight defence is also required if Antonio Conte’s side are to silence City’s incredible front-three.
If they can do that, then they may fancy their chances on the break. Willian and Eden Hazard have the pace and skill to cause City problems. Their link-up play will have to be perfect if they’re to dismantle the miserly home defence. The Blues will need to press hard early on to put the hosts on the back-foot.
Match Odds
Manchester City are 8/13 to rack up their fifth win in their last seven Premier League matches. You can back Chelsea at 17/4, with the draw available at 3/1. Chelsea or Draw in the Double Chance market is 5/4.
Sergio Aguero is considered the most likely goalscorer for the hosts. The Argentine has scored 11 goals in his last 10 matches and is 21/10 in the Anytime market. Coral go 4/1 that he nets two or more. De Bruyne scored in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge and is 12/5 to strike again this afternoon.
Morata is favourite for the visitors at 23/10. Alonso, who has netted against Arsenal and Tottenham this season, is priced at 5/1 Anytime and 18/1 for First Goalscorer.
Five of the last six iterations of this fixture have seen three or more goals scored. It’s 4/6 for there to be Over 2.5 Goals this afternoon. You can also back Man City and Over 2.5 Goals at 13/10.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
