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Manchester City will kickstart their Premier League title defence against Chelsea on Sunday at Stamford Bridge. City won a fourth consecutive league title last term while Chelsea produced a late flourish at the end of a dismal season to finish sixth.
Chelsea and City locked horns a little more than a fortnight ago with Pep Guardiola's men winning the game 4-2. Erling Haaland bagged a hat-trick while Oscar Bobb scored the odd goal of the four for the Cityzens. Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke responded for Chelsea but it was all too little too late for the Blues.
Chelsea are, in customary fashion, navigating yet another a period of change. Despite an upturn in form in the final weeks of the 2023-24 season which saw them finish sixth in the league and qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League, Chelsea sacked Mauricio Pochettino from the managerial role.
Pep Guardiola's former deputy Enzo Maresca has now taken the reins at Stamford Bridge and it's been yet another summer of heavy spending for the West London club. However, their pre-season form has left much to be desired with the Blues managing to pick up just one win in six fixtures.
Meanwhile, Manchester City will be chasing their seventh Premier League title in eight seasons and are currently standard bearers of the English top flight. They clinched the league title on the final day of last season, edging Arsenal by two points to mark a historic achievement.
City's pre-season form was nothing to write home about either, largely because most of their starters were absent from the squad. They suffered losses against Celtic, AC Milan and Barcelona (on penalties) before picking up a solid win against Chelsea.
They subsequently produced an unconvincing display against Manchester United in the FA Community Shield last Saturday. Guardiola's men rode their luck to get the better of their cross-city rivals in a penalty shootout after the game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes.
Chelsea vs Manchester City Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Manchester City haven't lost any of their last six Premier League meetings wth Chelsea. They have won four and drawn two.
- Manchester City's last loss to Chelsea came in the UEFA Champions League final in May 2021. Since then, they have managed to go unbeaten in their last nine meetings with Chelsea across all competitions, which includes seven wins and two draws.
- No side has picked up more points from their opening fixtures of the Premier League season than Chelsea (67).
- The last time Chelsea played the reigning league champions in their opening fixture was against Arsenal at Highbury in 1971-72. They lost the game 3-0.
- City have won 12 of their last 13 Premier League opening day matches.
Chelsea vs Manchester City Prediction
Last year, this fixture produced a Premier League classic, with Chelsea and City playing out a riveting 4-4 draw. Rodri's absence could be a major blow for Guardiola's men as they have clearly struggled without him in the past.
But it's worth noting that Chelsea's defense has looked quite vulnerable in pre-season and it will take the players a while to get used to Maresca's stlye of play. City look stronger on paper and they have enough talismanic players on their side to punish Chelsea.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-3 Manchester City
Chelsea vs Manchester City Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Manchester City to win
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
