Manchester City vs Chelsea Prediction And Betting Tips

Chelsea face a tough trip to Manchester to take on the champions, as they hope to get back into the top half of the table. The hosts will be looking to regain top spot, depending on other results.

• Moneyline: Man City to win @ -300 with FanDuel
• Both Teams to Score (Yes) @ -144 with FanDuel
• Over 2.5 goals @ -233 with FanDuel

These odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

• Date: 17/02/24
• Kick-off time: 17:30
• Venue: Etihad Stadium

Man City currently sit second in the league, two points behind Liverpool, and level on points with Arsenal in third. They are above the Gunners on goals scored, but notably have a game in hand on both sides. A victory for Pep Guardiola’s side could see them return to the summit, if Liverpool drop points in the lunchtime fixture. Regardless, it will ensure they keep pace with the league leaders. Defeat would present a huge opportunity for both of their rivals, Liverpool to extend the gap, and Arsenal to overtake them. Such is the quality of all three teams, the margin for error will be very minimal the rest of the way.

The visitors, on the other hand, have endured another terrible campaign. After finishing 12th last season, Chelsea are languishing in 11th, hoping to make it back into the top half with a positive result. Under the new management of Mauricio Pochettino, they have lost more games than they have won, and have a negative goal difference. A loss would see them fall further away from the European places, and could mean a second consecutive season of no European football.

Whilst Chelsea have shown they can score, they struggle to keep clean sheets. They will have a tough time keeping the City attack quiet, especially with the recent return of Erling Haaland, who scored his first goals since November last weekend. The Blues do have plenty of attacking threats of their own, especially with ex-City youngster Cole Palmer. Christopher Nkunku will also hope to make an impact.

Guardiola’s team have absolutely dominated this fixture in recent seasons. The Citizens have won six of the last seven meetings, the other one being the thrilling 4-4 draw in the reverse fixture earlier this campaign at Stamford Bridge. In that game, City took the lead through a Haaland penalty, before Chelsea turned it around with goals from Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling. Manuel Akanji got his team back on level terms before the break, and they quickly regained their advantage after the restart with another Haaland strike. The hosts levelled again, but fell behind with four minutes remaining. However, they were awarded a last-gasp penalty, which was converted by Palmer to ensure the points were shared.

Chelsea have not beaten Man City since the 2021 Champions League final, in which Kai Havertz scored the winner to earn the club’s second title. That season under Tuchel saw them win three of four meetings with their opponents.

Manchester City Team News

Pep Guardiola has a fully fit squad to choose from for the game against Chelsea.

Chelsea Team News

Benoit Badiashile picked up a groin injury late on in their FA Cup replay at Aston Villa and will miss the Crystal Palace game, so his availability for this weekend’s fixture is in doubt.  Pochettino may be able to call on the services of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for the first time in months, though his understudy Djordje Petrovic has performed well in his absence. Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana are all still out long-term. 

Manchester City Form Guide:

In their last five games, Manchester City have won all of them. Pep Guardiola’s side look as unstoppable as ever, with the champions in the midst of a 10-game winning streak in all competitions. Their latest win came last weekend against Everton at home. The visitors managed to restrict their hosts to zero shots on target in the first half, but their resistance was finally broken in the 71st minute as Erling Haaland emphatically volleyed the ball into the net. He then doubled the lead with five minutes to go, allowing them to cruise to victory.

This followed another dominant win, this time at Brentford, though the Bees did take an early lead through Neal Maupay. City responded in impressive fashion, as Phil Foden equalised just as half-time neared, before he added two more after the break to complete his hat-trick. They also beat Burnley 3-1 at home and Newcastle 3-2 away, with an FA Cup fourth-round triumph over Tottenham in between.

City will face Copenhagen in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie before they take on Chelsea at the weekend.

Chelsea Form Guide:

In their last five games, Chelsea have won two, lost two and drawn one. After two crushing defeats to Liverpool and Wolves, the Blues responded well by dominating Aston Villa 3-1 at Villa Park in their most recent outing to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup. In the replay, Chelsea were rewarded for their fast start, as they went a goal up through Conor Gallagher. Nicolas Jackson doubled their lead with a header before the break. Enzo Fernandez grabbed the third with a sublime free-kick, before Moussa Diaby scored a late consolation.

This was an excellent response to two of their worst defeats of the season. First, their trip to Anfield ended in a crushing 4-1 defeat. This preceded their humbling 4-2 home loss to Wolves, which included a hat-trick from Matheus Cunha. They had taken the lead through Cole Palmer, but the visitors came back and took the lead before half-time, an advantage they never relinquished.

Whilst the Blues have struggled in the league as of late, they have enjoyed plenty of success in the cups. Their win against Villa came as a result of a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge which forced a replay. They are also in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool after they beat Middlesbrough 6-1 in the second leg of the semi-finals.

The Blues face a trip to Crystal Palace on Monday Night Football, before their clash with Manchester City at the weekend.

Chelsea have a poor away record in recent weeks, despite picking up a win at Aston Villa in the cup. After losing heavily against Wolves and Liverpool, they will find it difficult to keep the ball out of the net against a dominant City side. We predict: Manchester City 3-1 Chelsea

You will be able to watch Manchester City vs Chelsea on TV with NBC or you can live stream on Fubo for free!