Chelsea - Manchester City predictions and free betting tips [12/11/2023]

On Sunday, 12th November, in the 12th round of the Premier League, Chelsea will host Manchester City at their home ground. Mauricio Pochettino's return to the Tottenham stadium on Monday culminated in an outstanding 4:1 win for the Blues, while the Citizens secured their place in the 1/8 final of the Champions League, trouncing Young Boys.

Expected Line-up

Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson.
Manchester City: Ederson; Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Walker, Rodri, Kovacic, Doku; Silva, Alvarez; Haaland.  

Stadium

The match will take place in London at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea 

After an unsatisfactory campaign last year, Chelsea began a new chapter in their history with a new coach and serious restructuring. These changes can to some extent explain the unsatisfactory start of the London club, which currently ranks only 10th in the Premier League, trailing the continental cups zone by 7 points. After a decent October stint, marked by three unbeaten matches (2 wins and 1 draw), the Blues were humiliated at home by Brentford (0:2). However, they made a brilliant comeback last Monday by defeating Tottenham (4:1) in the derby. Dejan Kulusevski scored via a deflection just six minutes into the game, but red cards for Christian Romero and Destiny Udogie, as well as injuries to James Maddison and Miki van de Ven, turned the match on its head. A penalty by Cole Palmer and a hat-trick by Nicholas Jackson put the outcome of the derby beyond doubt. 

Despite this, the team has been struggling at home: the only Premier League win in the last 13 matches at Stamford Bridge was a victory over Luton Town, and Chelsea failed to score in three out of the last four clashes here. This weekend, the hosts will have to cope with a number of absences. The injury list includes key newcomers Lavia and Nkunku, Fofana, crucial wing-back Chilwell, promising midfielder Chukwuemeka and Chalobah. On top of that, the involvement of Albanian forward Broja is uncertain. Cole Palmer, who moved from Manchester City last summer (3 goals and 2 assists in 8 matches), leads the Blues' attack and will definitely start today. He will be supported up front by Jackson (5 goals in 10 matches) and Sterling.

Manchester City

The reigning English champions Manchester City have been dominating English football for several years now. This season, the Citizens are naturally the clear favourites for the title. Furthermore, they currently sit at the top of the Premier League table, one point ahead of their closest rivals. After winning the first 6 rounds, the visitors suffered two losses against Wolverhampton (2:1) and Arsenal (1:0). Afterwards, they resumed their triumphant march, overcoming Brighton (2:1), Manchester United (0:3), and Bournemouth (6:1) last weekend. City also boasts a perfect record in their Champions League group (4 wins), outperforming Young Boys (3:0) this week, and advanced to the play-off stage ahead of time. Jeremy Doku stood out by scoring himself and providing four assists for his teammates. 

The only points Guardiola's charges lost this season were on the road, where they can also boast only five "clean" Premier League victories in 2023. Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, who sustained a serious injury in the summer, is still absent from Manchester City's line-up. Moreover, seasoned John Stones sustained another injury midweek and is out for a long period. Doku has adapted well to Pep Guardiola's system and will start alongside Erling Haaland - the top scorer in the Premier League at the moment with 11 goals. Nathan Ake may feature in the visitors' defence given the problems with Stones and Akanji.

Head-to-Head

In the last 10 head-to-head encounters, Chelsea has won thrice and lost 7 times. Last season, City won all three clashes with the Blues: 1:0, 4:0 and 1:0.

Match Prediction for Chelsea vs. Manchester City

Following Tottenham's stumble, the Citizens can consolidate their top spot in the league table by winning at Chelsea tonight. Despite their resounding derby victory, the hosts have been experiencing considerable difficulties at the start of the campaign, and a filled infirmary does not contribute to a good atmosphere in the team's locker room. Guardiola's team currently looks like a contender of a completely different level, so our bet is on the victory of the visitors.

Total Goals Prediction

It's only logical that City has scored more than anyone else in the current Premier League season - 28 goals in 11 rounds. Chelsea concedes from all sides, so we confidently bet on an individual total over 1.5 for the visitors.

Corners Prediction 

City will take the initiative and attack more, which is typical for Guardiola's team in a match against any opponent. We bet on a victory for the visitors in corners with a handicap of -1.5.

Yellow Cards Prediction 

In the last five head-to-head meetings, the referee didn't show more than 4.5 yellow cards. This trend will continue tonight.

Score Prediction

We'll wager on an exact score of 0:2 in favour of Manchester City.