Chelsea vs Man City: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Man City achieved an incredible Premier League victory last year. Four straight Premier League championships by a single club in England is an unprecedented feat in men's football. Yes, the record goes beyond the Premier League's inception. We need to know whether Man City can make it five wins in a row. They have managed to keep Pep Guardiola on as manager of Manchester City thus far, but there have been whispers that this may be his last season in charge.

Head-to-head and previous matches

Man City will begin their Premier League championship defense away from home for the fourth consecutive season. Since the Etihad Stadium has not hosted a Premier League opener since 2016–17, they will have become used to the move. Man City have been crowned champions for the last three seasons. However, they have lost to Tottenham and won twice against Burnley and West Ham.

The beginning of a new era has arrived for Chelsea. Mauricio Pochettino's departure from the club was formally confirmed as mutually agreed upon only days after the team's return to European play. Chelsea managed to finish sixth in the Premier League last season, but the Blues still have many grievances they will want to address this coming season.

Now in charge is Enzo Maresca, who guided Leicester City to the Premier League on their first attempt. After managing Parma for a short while in 2021, Maresca had his first entire season in that role in 2022. Maresca served as Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City and was head coach of the club's under-23 squad in 2020–21.

Even though Manchester City eliminated Chelsea from the FA Cup semi-finals last season, Chelsea nevertheless managed a respectable league performance. Even though they were a poor team overall, Chelsea nonetheless won both matches against Manchester City, including a nail-biting 4-4 tie at home.

Also, out of 32 previous Premier League season openers, 20 have ended in wins for Chelsea and seven in draws.

Even though Chelsea tied Man City twice last season, breaking a six-game losing streak in which they failed to score, they have failed to win any of their previous nine matches in this matchup. The last time Chelsea triumphed against Manchester City was in the Champions League final of 2021.

Chelsea x Man City Team News

Chelsea has already strengthened their roster with four additions, one of which is Kieran Dewsbury-Hall, who joined from Leicester after Maresca. The Blues will likely start Dewsbury-Hall in the middle of the pitch if Maresca opts for a 4-3-3 formation.

The departure of Thiago Silva means a change in the center-back pairing. After receiving a red card after the 2023–24 season, Reece James will miss the first three games of the next season.

With only three players going out, the reigning champions have kept a low profile throughout the transfer season. Anything might happen in the next month to alter that. Stefan Ortega will replace Ederson as the starting goalkeeper if rumors are to be believed.

Our Predictions

Full Time Draw @ 3.95 on SKY247.ng

We believe Chelsea and Man City's opening match at the Bridge will end in a full-time draw, as both teams want to start the season on a high.

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