Chelsea vs Manchester City
After winning the EFL Cup at the expense of Arsenal, Manchester City are making a last-ditch effort to snatch the Premier League title away from them to add insult to injury. The Sky Blues are currently nine points adrift of the Gunners in the English top-flight standings, though they have a game in hand heading into this weekend.
Manchester City are set to visit Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this Sunday, and the Sky Blues’ confidence is at an all-time high as they’re coming off a 4-0 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals last weekend.
Chelsea are also fresh a convincing FA Cup quarter-final win with a 7-0 rout of Port Vale. However, they are feeling the blues in the Premier League (pun intended). Liam Rosenior’s side has lost three of their last four, causing his men to slip to sixth place with 48 points.
Talking Points
Fernandez sanctioned by Chelsea
Enzo Fernandez has gotten himself in hot water with Chelsea over his comments about his future at the club. The Argentine midfielder recently said in interviews that he would welcome living in Madrid, insinuating that he would be open to joining Real Madrid in the summer, despite having a long-term contract with Chelsea.
As a result, head coach Liam Rosenior dropped Fernandez from the squad for two games, starting with Port Vale last Saturday and against Manchester City this weekend. Since then, the Blues vice-captain and his agent have apologised to Chelsea.
Fernandez is one of the Blues’ most productive players this term, with eight goals and three assists. With Fernandez on the sidelines, Rosenior has moved Cole Palmer to the No. 10 while promoting Estevao as a starter, occupying the left wing, with Pedro Neto on the right wing and Joao Pedro as the No. 9.
We may see something similar against the Sky Blues, with a double midfield pivot of Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo (instead of Andrey Santos), who took the day off against Port Vale. Meanwhile, captain Reece James is fighting against time to shake off a thigh injury. Benoit Badiashile is ill, and Trevoh Chalobah remains a long-term absentee.
Manchester City to get key defenders back
Manchester City recently confirmed that centre-backs Ruben Dias and John Stones are expected to return to action soon. Dias has been out since their 2-1 loss in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 loss against Real Madrid last month. Stones withdrew from the England national team during the international break and was an unused sub in the Sky Blues’ EFL Cup triumph over Arsenal. Among them, Dias will likely be the first to return, and he could come off the bench against Chelsea.
On the other hand, Manchester City’s frontline remains intact with the robust combo of Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Jeremy Doku, and Rayan Cherki, with Omar Marmoush, Savinho, and Phil Foden on the bench.
History
Chelsea and Manchester City shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw in their previous league encounter, as Enzo Fernandez scored the equaliser in stoppage time at the Etihad, nullifying Tijjani Reijnders’ first-half goal. This happened a few days after Enzo Maresca surprisingly stepped down from his head coaching job, with Calum McFarlane taking charge on an interim basis.
With Chelsea dropping back-to-back league games against Newcastle United (1-0) and Everton (3-0), they’re in danger of losing three straight Premier League matches for the first time since May 2023. Liam Rosenior’s men have failed to win a home league match since January (D2, L1).
Manchester City have lost only one of their last nine away league outings (W5, D3), but they’ve drawn their last two league games after taking the lead.
Betting Tip
The Premier League 2026 odds are backing Manchester City to beat Chelsea on the road this weekend, albeit via fine margins. The Sky Blues have a slight edge at 2.13, whereas the Blues are at 2.91 odds to win at home, and a draw is on offer at 3.45 in the 1X2 market.
Given their recent form, Manchester City should create enough Premier League 2026 highlights at the expense of Chelsea. While you’re at it, SBOTOP punters may consider adding Under 3.25 at 1.75, Under 3.00 at 1.98, and Total Goals 2-3 at 2.15 to the parlay.
However, if you fancy the Blues avoiding a third successive Premier League defeat, check out the Correct Score of 1-1 – the result of the reverse fixture – given its 7.20 offer.
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.
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