Manchester City - Chelsea predictions and free betting tips [17/02/2024]

On Saturday, 17th of February, as part of the 25th round of the EPL, Manchester City will host Chelsea. The Cityzens are striving to catch up with Liverpool at the top of the league table, while the Londoners are still quite a distance from securing a spot in the European competitions.

Predicted Lineups

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Diaz, Ake; Stones, Rodri; Bernardo, De Bruyne, Alvarez, Foden; Haaland.

Chelsea: Petrovic; Gusto, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell; Fernandez, Kaisedo; Palmer, Gallagher, Jackson; Nkunku.

Manchester City

Manchester City are challenging for their fourth consecutive title: currently, the Cityzens occupy 2nd place in the Premier League, trailing league leaders Liverpool by just two points, with one game in hand. The Sky Blues have gathered tremendous momentum in recent weeks: after triumphing at the FIFA Club World Cup, City have claimed victories in their last six EPL fixtures. Last weekend, Manchester City defeated Everton 2-0, and previously, they knocked Tottenham out of the FA Cup in the 1/16 finals (1-0). Pep Guardiola's charges secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals last week, dispatching Copenhagen 3-1 – cool deliveries from Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden were all contributing factors. An important fact: the hosts have not been defeated in any of their last 22 home matches at the Etihad in the EPL.

Despite this, City can't boast of defensive solidity as they have conceded goals in 11 out of their last 13 championship matches. But, there's no problem with the team's attack: they've scored the most goals in the EPL, hitting the back of the net 56 times in 23 matches. Josko Guardiol and defensive midfielder Kovacic missed this week's Champions League match due to injury, but have returned to full training. Erling Haaland (16 goals and 5 assists in 18 EPL matches) netted a brace against Everton last week and should once again be spearheading the attack. Kevin De Bruyne is also in great form (2 goals and 7 assists in his last 7 matches across all competitions) and will start, alongside Rodri and the electric duo of Doku and Foden (8 goals and 7 assists). Calvin Phillips was loaned to West Ham this winter during the January transfer window.

Chelsea

Like last season, Chelsea are failing to meet fans' expectations despite the club management's ambitious goals. As a result, the Blues are most likely going to miss out on a European slot. After two consecutive victories in late January, Pochettino's charges faltered against Liverpool (4-1) and Wolverhampton (4-2). The Londoners made amends last Monday with a hard-earned victory over Crystal Palace (3-1). The aristocrats couldn't manage a single shot on target in the first half, despite enjoying 80% of the ball possession at Selhurst Park. However, Chelsea showed a different side in the second half, and their efforts paid off: Conor Gallagher netted after the break and Enzo Fernandez sealed the victory towards the end of the second half. Overall, Chelsea haven't been performing well on the road, amassing just 16 points in 12 matches, having scored 21 goals and conceded 22.

It's important to note that Chelsea have reached the League Cup final and will face Liverpool at the end of February - a legitimate chance to earn a Europa League spot. The capital team's lineup is still dampened by injuries. Captain Reece James, first-choice goalkeeper Sanchez, long-term injury-stricken defender Fofana and Cucurella, Lavia and Ugbo - they are all in the treatment room. French centre-back Badiashile was absent in the last round and is unlikely to feature this Saturday. Youngster Cole Palmer (10 goals and 6 assists) will face off against his former club and will certainly aim to prove his worth; he'll be supported in the starting lineup by playmaker Gallagher. Frenchman Christopher Nkunku (2 goals in 6 matches) is still struggling to find his best form but could potentially bolster the game coming off the bench in the second half.

Head-to-Head

The Blues have failed to win any of their last seven encounters with the Cityzens; moreover, the Londoners have lost in 18 of their last 19 face-offs with City in the Premier League.

Match prediction: Manchester City - Chelsea

It's hard to imagine that an injury-plagued Chelsea could pose a significant challenge to a Manchester City side pumped up by the title race. The hosts have turned the Etihad into a fortress and seldom stumble on home turf. Haaland, De Bruyne and Foden are in terrific form, the midfield is cemented by Rodri and a long bench gives Guardiola the option to turn around the tide of a match in the second half if things are not going their way. My prediction - a victory for the favourite with a -1 handicap.