Manchester City - Chelsea predictions and free betting tips [20/04/2024]

On Saturday, 20th of April, as part of the FA Cup semifinals, Manchester City will host Chelsea on their home turf. Last Wednesday, the "citizens" were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals, having lost in a penalty shootout to Madrid's Real, while the Londoners have yet to lose this spring across all tournaments.

Predicted Line-ups

Manchester City: Ortega; Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake; Rodri; Foden, De Bruyne, Alvarez, Doku; Haaland.
Chelsea: Petrovic; Gusto, Chalobah, Silva, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson.

Stadium

The match will take place in London at Wembley Stadium.

Manchester City

The reigning FA Cup holders, Manchester City, are determined to defend their crown this year. In previous rounds of the tournament, the "citizens" bested Huddersfield (5:0), Tottenham (0:1), Luton Town (2:6) and Newcastle (2:0). However, this week brought considerable disappointment: after losing to Madrid's Real (1:2 after penalty shootout) at home, Pep Guardiola's team was eliminated from the Champions League quarter-finals.

Kevin De Bruyne answered Rodrigo's early goal, while Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic failed their post-match 11-metre attempts – and this despite 33 shots at the cream's goal, 68% ball possession and 18 corners. Nonetheless, the Mancunians can still count on a 4th consecutive national title, as they currently top the league table, 2 points clear of the chasing Arsenal and Liverpool. It's important to highlight that the team hasn't lost a single match in their last 17 across all competitions (13 wins and 4 draws). 

Chelsea

Having last won the FA Cup in 2018, Chelsea will have to put in considerable effort at Wembley this Saturday if the Blues want to reach the final. In previous rounds, the Londoners outplayed Preston (4:0), Aston Villa (1:3 after overtime), Leeds (3:2) and Leicester (4:2). In the league, Mauricio Pochettino's charges are once again disappointing fans, holding only the 9th spot in the Premier League standings. However, they lag only 3 points behind the top six teams, so the prospects for reaching the European competitions are not yet lost.

In the last eight matches, Chelsea did not lose once (4 wins and 4 draws) and secured a convincing 6:0 victory over crisis-ridden Everton last Monday. Cole Palmer has equalled Erling Haaland in terms of goals scored in the APL's current run (20 each) by pulling off a poker, while Nicolas Jackson and Alfie Gilchrist also struck at the Toffees' goal. It should be noted that the Blues are preparing for their 27th FA Cup semi-final – only Manchester United (32) and Arsenal (30) have reached this stage more times throughout the competition's history. 

Head-to-Head

In the league, Manchester City and Chelsea failed to determine the stronger side in the current campaign, having tied at Stamford Bridge (4:4) and later at the Etihad (1:1).

Match Forecast: Manchester City vs Chelsea

Chelsea's spring results and recent head-to-heads with City in the league should give Pochettino's charges confidence ahead of the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, especially since triumph in this tournament might be the Blues' only chance to secure a ticket to the European competitions. The Citizens will be physically and emotionally drained after their Champions League exit, leading Guardiola to likely resort to squad rotation. My prediction - a handicap for the capital's grandee of 1.5.

Total Goals Forecast

City failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five matches across all competitions, whereas Chelsea have scored five times against the Citizens this season. I'm betting on the Blues' individual total over 1 goal.

Corners Forecast

Both teams preach an exclusively attacking style of football and will utilise their flanks, so I'm betting on the total corners over 9.5.

Yellow Cards Forecast

Chelsea, with all due respect, are somewhat inferior in class to their opponent and will spend more time on defence. The Blues have won by yellow cards in the last four head-to-head matches - this trend will likely continue.

Score Forecast

I'm betting on an exact scoreline of 1:1 in regular time.