Chelsea vs Manchester City
Chelsea’s second game back after the restart is a humdinger, although it’s not exactly the fixture you’d choose when you’re in a tough competition to win Champions League qualification.
Blues head coach Frank Lampard knows that this upcoming Premier League match will probably be his side’s biggest challenge in the run-in.
The Sky Blues have returned to action in ruthless form and their team will be jam packed with world class players, which ever starting XI boss Pep Guardiola puts his faith in on Thursday.
But Chelsea’s fate is in their own hands after winning their first game. And if they can navigate this one, they will be firmly in pole position.
Talking Points
Chelsea lead the race for Champions League football
The Blues currently sit on fourth place and have a five point cushion over the chasing pair of Manchester United and Wolves. Both are expected to win their Wednesday fixtures against Sheffield United at Bournemouth, so the gap could be down to two before Chelsea kick-off.
Of course Lampard wants to get something from this game, but his players will all know they have relegation strugglers West Ham, Watford, and Norwich City to play over the next couple of weeks and they made a good start on Sunday.
Skipper Cesar Azpilicueta set up both goals in Chelsea’s 2-1 win away to Aston Villa, while the forgotten man of Chelsea in Olivier Giroud reminded everyone outside Stamford Bridge what he is about – firing home the winner just two minutes after Christian Pulisic had drawn the Blues level.
The Frenchman has more competition arriving in the summer when RB Leipzig’s red-hot striker Timo Werner rocks up in West London.
Lampard started with some of his young stars on the bench, then Tammy Abraham came on to replace Giroud with ten minutes remaining while Reece James just had a couple of minutes and young Billy Gilmour sat out the victory.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek returned from injury to make his first appearance for the Blues under Lampard, leaving the Chelsea boss plenty of talent at his disposal and they’ll be keen to show their visitors just how good they can be.
Foden’s ready to take his place
Pep Guardiola has his own young star making headlines as attacking midfielder Phil Foden stakes a claim for a place with increasingly impressive performances as the Sky Blues aim for a fast finish to the Premier League.
Liverpool are within touching distance of winning a first league title in 30 years and Manchester City will do everything they can to make the Reds wait.
They have already made short work of Arsenal and Burnley, beating the Clarets 5-0 last night with both Riyad Mahrez and Foden scoring a brace.
Our pre-match SBOBET tips predicted a tough night for Sean Dyche’s team and City were outstanding from start to finish.
Known as “Stockport Iniesta” in Greater Manchester, Foden made a statement with his best performance of his career so far, and I can’t see Guardiola dropping him from the squad.
Therefore, I expect to see him making a big contribution to the Chelsea vs Manchester City highlights package on Thursday night.
The Sky Blues made eight changes to the team which beat Arsenal, and Burnley were arguably facing a stronger 11 which included Sergio Aguero.
But the Argentine hit man limped off injured after a challenge from Burnley skipper Ben Mee, which could mean that Gabriel Jesus gets the nod against Chelsea.
History
Chelsea have won almost half of the head-to-head meetings between these two teams in the Premier League era, winning 25 of 51 contests while the Sky Blues have triumphed in 19 and there have been seven draws.
City won the return match 2-1 with goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez after N’Golo Kante had put the Blues ahead.
Recent form for both teams is good. Manchester City have won four of the last five in the league and have looked imperious in their first two games, but then the Blues are on a three-match winning streak.
So let’s take a look at our Chelsea vs Manchester City betting tips.
Betting Tip
 |
 |
Chelsea vs Manchester City | Over 2.75 @ 1.82 |
| June 26, 03:15 (GMT+8) |
This is going to be a cracking game for sure. All three results are well in play though Pep’s stars are clear favourites.
The Sky Blues are at 1.78 with the draw at 3.60 and Chelsea out at 4.30 to take all three points.
City have been scoring at will in their opening games while Chelsea took Aston Villa apart in the second half on Sunday, so I’m going for goals!
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
|
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
