Chelsea vs Man City Preview, Prediction, Lineups and Team News | Premier League

Sportsdunia DeskModified: 17 Aug 2024 11:12 AM

Preview

Date – Sunday, August 18, 2024
Kick-off Time – 04:30 pm GMT
Venue – Stamford Bridge

Chelsea take on defending champions Man City in their opening game of the 2024/25 Premier League season at Stamford Bridge. The Blues somehow managed to secure European football and will start a new era under manager Enzo Maresca who led Leicester City back to the Premier League this season.

Last season, hosts Chelsea finished sixth in the league and have won only one of their six total friendlies in the pre-season. The Blues have hired Enzo Maresca who has previously worked with Guardiola during his time at City. Chelsea looked vulnerable in the pre-season and balancing such a huge squad will be a challenging task for the Italian manager

Meanwhile, Man City are coming off a win over Man United in the Community Shield and are strong favourites for this tie. The defending champions have been fairly quite in the summer transfer window but will once again enter the season as title favourites.

Team News

Chelsea Team News

Chelsea are still without captain Reece James who is nursing another hamstring injury and will also remain suspended for this tie after he was sent off against Brighton in the final game of the 2023/24 season. Summer signing Pedro Neto is expected to make his debut for the Blues. Both Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson have recovered from their respective injuries and will look for some action this weekend.

Man City Team News

Man City have a strong lineup which would see Erling Haaland lead the line in this crucial weekend fixture. Euro 2024 winner Rodri will miss this tie due to an extended summer break. Jack Grealish is nursing a hamstring injury and will remain out for this game.

Predicted Lineups

Chelsea Predicted Lineup:

Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Enzo (c),Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall; Palmer, Jackson, Neto

Man City Predicted Lineup:

Ortega, Akanji, Dias, Aké, Gvardiol, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Silva, Bobb, Foden, Haaland

Head-to-Head

Chelsea have the upper hand in terms of the head-to-head between the two sides, having won 71 of their 178 previous meetings. Man City have won 66 matches while the remaining 41 games have ended in a draw.

Last five results:

Man City 1-0 Chelsea – FA Cup – April 20, 2024
Man City 1-1 Chelsea – Premier League – February 17, 2024
Chelsea 4-4 Man City – Premier League – November 12, 2023
Man City 1-0 Chelsea – Premier League – May 21, 2023
Man City 4-0 Chelsea – FA Cup – January 08, 2023

Chelsea vs Man City Prediction

The hosts finished sixth in the Premier League last season but still managed to steal from their two games against Man City last season despite their terrible run in the first half of the 2023/24 campaign. They were one of the most exciting teams in the Championship last year and had the second-best home record in the division. It is hard to be optimistic about their chances against the Premier League champions despite a hefty investment in this summer window.

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s men will work towards a positive start to their Premier League campaign after winning the Community Shield on Saturday. They have established themselves as the dominant force in English football after winning four Premier League trophies in five years. Erling Haaland is expected to be the first player on the scoresheet

Predicted Score: Chelsea 0-2 Man City