The Premier League is back for another exciting season, and the fireworks start from the very first gameweek, as Chelsea will host defending champions Manchester City in the first round this Monday. The Citizens beat the Blues in a friendly game two weeks ago, so what should we expect from this matchup?
| ℹ️ Tournament: | English Premier League season 2024-25, Matchday 1 |
| ⚽️ Venue: | Stamford Bridge Stadium, London, England |
| 🗓️ Date: | 18 August 2024 |
| ⏰ Time: | 4:30 p.m. GMT on Sunday |
According to the best football odds in 2024, Chelsea are the big home underdogs at 4.30 (33/10). A draw is offered at 4.10 (31/10), while Manchester City are the away favorites at 1.85 (17/20) to beat the Blues in the first round.
The Citizens have completely dominated this matchup ever since they lost to the Blues in the 2021 UCL final, as in the last 10 head-to-head games, Man City won eight and drew twice with no wins for Chelsea. The last time the Blues beat Manchester City at home in the league was in 2020.
Chelsea went on a five-game winning streak to finish in 6th place in the Premier League last season, but they have been horrible in the preseason, winning only one of six friendly games. The Blues were probably the most active team in the league, having acquired Pedro Neto, Filip Jorgensen, Renato Veiga, Marc Guiu, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
The Blues are coming off a 1-1 draw with Inter Milan in their last friendly before the start of the season. Cole Palmer played his first minutes of the preseason in that game, and he is expected to be ready to face his former club. Chelsea are going into the new season with a new coach, Enzo Maresca, and they are a young team in their rebuilding era.
Chelsea will miss Reece James due to an injury in addition to his suspension, while Pedro Neto is unlikely to start his first game for the Blues.
The Citizens are coming off a historic season, in which they have won their fourth Premier League title in a row. The 2024 Man City odds have them as favorites once again to win the EPL title, but Arsenal aren’t that far behind. The Citizens sold Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, and they have replaced him with Girona’s talented winger, Savio.
The Citizens are coming off a 1-1 (7-6) win over Man United in the 2024 Community Shield, as they have already opened their season with a trophy in the first game. Man City were losing until the 89th minute when Bernardo Silva equalized, and that game saw the return of Kevin De Bruyne for the team.
Man City will most likely miss Rodri, Phil Foden, John Stones, and Kyle Walker due to their lack of minutes in the preseason, while Jack Grealish is doubtful with an injury.
1 (50%)
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Pep Guardiola and Manchester City know how to play well against this Chelsea team. The Citizens are the more stable team right now between the two, and they are in good spirits after winning the Community Shield. The Blues are still very shaky defensively, having conceded 13 goals in six friendlies, including four goals to Man City two weeks ago.
If you want to bet on Chelsea in 2024, it’s better to avoid them in this tough fixture. They are a promising young team, but the Citizens are just superior in every aspect of the game right now.
2 (100%)
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This line is a little bit high for this matchup, considering that the Blues will try to tighten their defense at home at the start of the season. Only three of the last 13 head-to-head matches between those teams had more than three goals, so it’s usually a low-scoring matchup. Man City won’t have most of their attacking players in this game, so they aren’t expected to go all out attack either.
2 (100%)
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Bernardo Silva has the most value to score in this game with those odds. The Portuguese looked sharp in the Community Shield game against Man United, and he scored in the last minutes of the match. Silva will most likely start on the wing since Oscar Bobb got injured on Wednesday and Phil Foden isn’t ready yet, so he will be even closer to the goal. Bernardo is quite good at exploiting shaky defenses like the one that the Blues have as well.
The Citizens should be ready for a good start and prove their Premier League 24/25 predictions to finish high, and they are in better form to get the win in this matchup. Make sure you use our 2024 Chelsea vs Man City betting predictions and bet them at the legal bookmakers in the UK to have more fun watching the game.
