Man City v Chelsea- Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Man City face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s side lost on penalties in the Champions League on Wednesday whilst the Blues beat Everton 6-0 to boost morale. Both meetings between these teams this season have ended in draws.

Man City Form

After winning 18 and drawing two of 20 matches, City’s last eight fixtures have seen just four wins. They drew 1-1 at Liverpool after being dominated in the second half and beat Newcastle 2-0 in the FA Cup. A 0-0 home draw vs Arsenal saw just one shot on target.

Successive league wins, 4-1 vs Aston Villa and 4-2 at Crystal Palace, preceded a crazy 3-3 away draw vs Real Madrid. City made light work of Luton last weekend with 4.32 xG in a 5-1 win. On Wednesday, City lost on penalties to Real Madrid after a 1-1 draw. They outshot Los Blancos 33-8.

Man City Team News

There are no injuries in the Man City squad right now. Stefan Orteta tends to play domestic cup games and may replace Ederson in goal.

John Stones and Nathan Ake are the main options to freshen up the defence. Jeremy Doku, Julian Alvarez, and Mateo Kovacic are pushing for midfield starts after going to extra time in midweek.

Man City Motivation

City can still win a domestic double and motivation will be high. They will look to dominate possession and beat Chelsea in 90 minutes.

Guardiola’s side won’t want to go to extra time again. Fatigue may be a factor in this match after extra time on Wednesday.

Chelsea Form

The Blues are inconsistent yet it’s just one loss in 12 and that came in extra time in the Carabao Cup final vs Liverpool. The side conceded 2+ goals in seven successive matches but have been scoring freely too. A 3-2 home win over Newcastle was followed by a 4-2 home FA Cup vs Leicester.

A 2-2 home draw vs ten-man Burnley was a dire result, but two very late goals sealed a 4-3 home win over Man Utd in a crazy game. After conceding in the dying embers to draw 2-2 at Sheffield United, they destroyed Everton 6-0 at home last time out with Cole Palmer scoring four goals.

Chelsea Team News

Mauricio Pochettino has a host of injuries to deal with. Reece James, Wesley Fofana, and Levi Colwill are injured at the back, but Axel Disasi should return.

In midfield, Enzo Fernandez is expected to be fit but Lesley Ugochukwu and Romeo Lavia are injured. Christopher Nkunku won’t feature in attack, but Raheem Sterling is set to be available after illness.

Chelsea Motivation

The Blues are looking confident going forward and are expected to attack a tired City team. This is the one chance to win silverware this season and reaching another cup final is a big motivator.

Chelsea also knows that winning the FA Cup would qualify them for next season’s Europa League.

Key Stats

Man City have won 20 of their last 25 matches (5 draws)

Man City have conceded in their last 5 matches (8 goals leaked)

The 2 meetings between these sides this season ended in draws (4-4 and 1-1)

Chelsea have lost just once in 12 matches

Chelsea have 1 clean sheet in their last 14 matches (27 goals leaked)

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer has scored 23 goals this season (9 penalties)

Verdict

This should be a tight affair with both sides on target in 90 minutes. Extra time may be needed to separate the sides.

Best Bet: Both Teams to Score at 1.58
Value Bet: Draw (90 mins) at 4.15
Goalscorer Tip: Haaland and Palmer to both score anytime at 5.50

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis