Manchester City vs. Chelsea Predictions

Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips for Manchester City vs. Chelsea at English Premier League

When: Sunday, January 4, 6:30 pm CET
Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England

The Citizens host Chelsea in what might be one of the most important games of the entire season. City needs a win over the shaky Blues, who, even though they aren’t in the title race anymore, are still a very tough and problematic rival for any EPL unit. Plus, they head to the Etihad without any pressure, which additionally improves their situation.

Manchester City vs. Chelsea Preview

Manchester City

It seems Guardiola’s boys are creating chemistry as we speak, as City looks better and better with each game. Rayan Cherki is starting to feel this team and the other way around, and he is on the way to fully replacing Kevin De Bruyne as the leader.

City ended the year with 8 wins in a row, and in those matches, Guardiola’s machinery scored twice in each of them, totaling 23 hits. Also, on the other side of the field, we saw them deliver four clean sheets.

Apart from losing at the season opener to Tottenham and in late November to Leverkusen in the UCL, this unit has nothing but triumphs at home, and is very, very powerful when facing rivals in front of its own fans. In 9 appearances at the Etihad, we saw them win 8 times, with a total goal difference of 25-6.

Chelsea

The Blues were in the mix for the title until a few weeks ago, when this team suddenly collapsed. It appears that the FIFA Club World Cup took a toll, because this unit didn’t have any rest during the summer. If the Blues fail to reach the UCL next year, things will be very, very tough for them.

Currently, the defense is Chelsea’s biggest problem. Maresca can’t tighten things up in the back line, which provided only two clean sheets in the previous 8 events.

Their vulnerabilities against better teams were visible, and it’s no wonder that both Newcastle and Aston Villa netted twice each in the recent clashes. How to stop this negative trend, we don’t know, but the reaction needs to be swift.

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Manchester City and Chelsea Possible Lineups

Manchester City: Donnarumma; O’Reilly, Gvardiol, Dias, Nunes; Reijnders, Nico, Silva; Foden, Cherki; Haaland

Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Gusto; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro

Manchester City vs Chelsea Head to Head

In the 2024/25 season, these teams met twice. City was better in both events, 0-2 on the road and 3-1 at home. Overall, the Citizens haven’t lost in the previous dozen events, posting 10 wins and two ties. They are dominating the Blues.

Manchester City vs. Chelsea Predictions

The City is in better form and has a home-field edge. Plus, the tradition is on their side, so we aren’t going to make some “meaningful” analysis and stuff, but be pretty straightforward here with these few facts.

Our verdict: Manchester City wins