As Premier League matches go, they don’t come much bigger than this one. Last season’s champions Manchester City host the favourites for this term’s title, Chelsea, with the Pensioners sitting pretty at the top of the table after winning their first four matches.
Jose Mourinho’s side did the league double over City last season, and given they have since added a fantastically prolific striker in the form of Diego Costa, the Blues will fancy their chances of posting another victory on Sunday.
City have their fair share of attacking talent, of course, not least Sergio Aguero who was on the scoresheet in his side’s 2-2 draw at Arsenal at the weekend. But with seven goals in his first four Premier League games (one more than Aguero managed in his first four top flight matches!), Costa could well fire the Blues to great things this season.
Of course, it is still very early days in terms of the title race, but victory for either side here would send out a strong message that they mean business. Manuel Pellegrini will be desperate for revenge over Mourinho after the two defeats in 2013-14, but whether his side can cope with Costa – not to mention the additional attacking prowess of Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Oscar – remains to be seen. We certainly anticipate an entertaining encounter as the visitors are sure to be less inclined to park the bus, knowing they now possess firepower that can hurt any side.
Despite City having lost 1-0 to Stoke in their last home match, they are priced as the 6/4 favourites to take the three points here (with Totesport). The draw, which will appeal to many no doubt, can be grabbed at 12/5 with Betfred, while if you think Chelsea can get another victory at the Etihad they are available at nice odds of 2/1 with Ladbrokes.
Last season Chelsea ground out a 1-0 victory at City by defending deeply and hitting their opponents on the counter attack. We predict a much more open encounter this time around, however, and our betting tips reflect this.
Manchester City v Chelsea Betting Tips
- Over 3.5 goals – As Chelsea showed when hammering Everton 6-3 at Goodison Park (where they lost 1-0 last term) they now have the confidence to take the game to better sides in the land and we expect a similar approach on Sunday. Backing over 3.5 goals might seem foolhardy, but we think it is a top value bet at odds of 85/40 with BetVictor.
- Both teams to score – This odds-on selection is priced at 7/10 with Ladbrokes and given both sides have plenty of attacking threat and Chelsea have conceded six goals already in their four matches, we see this as a real banker.
- Chelsea to win 3-2 – Obviously this is a long shot, but at odds of 33/1 with Bet365 it could be worth a flutter in a game that could be as entertaining as it is significant. Of course, Jose could spoil our fun by “parking the bus”, but we think he’ll go for the victory and make this an exciting (and profitable) match.