On Saturday, Chelsea (12 wins, 2 losses, 7 draws) will head to Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City (17-2-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. ET. Below, we preview the Chelsea vs. Manchester City odds and lines, and make our best EPL bets, picks and predictions.
For City, John Stones and Phil Foden are both doubtful. Foden started the first match between these two teams. At Chelsea, Man City won on a 53rd-minute goal by Gabriel Jesus.
City drew Liverpool earlier this season as well, so they’re 1-0-1 against two of the league’s top-three teams. As for Chelsea, they dropped their game to City but drew Liverpool as well.
Chelsea and City rank No. 3 and No. 1, respectively, in opponents’ goal allowed. Similarly, in a combined 42 goals, the two sides have netted a combined 98 goals. Chelsea will be without key M Reece James and D Ben Chilwell.
Chelsea vs. Manchester City: Odds, picks and predictions
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 1:20 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Chelsea +370 (bet $100 to win $370) | Manchester City -140 (bet $140 to win $100) | Draw +295
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -130 | U: +105)
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Prediction
Manchester City 1, Chelsea 1
Money line (ML)
“LEAN” to a DRAW +295.
Man City may have gotten the better of Chelsea the first time around, but it was by a narrow one-goal margin.
These two teams are closely matched with Chelsea being one of the lone clubs with a capable enough midfield to keep pace with City. Chelsea has drawn four straight EPL matches, including one against Liverpool. They’ve also won their last 3 times taking the pitch, all non-EPL games.
As for City, they’re coming off a 2-1 win over Arsenal, a game in which they were down 1-0 and then scored two following an Arsenal red card.
While they have a high-profile attack, I trust the Chelsea defense to limit them, holding a loaded City offense to just four shots on goal their first time around.
With that in mind, I’d play the DRAW +295, if anything, on the money line.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET on the UNDER 2.5 (+105).
This is my favorite bet of the game. In many of these big-time matchups (games between two of the EPL’s clearly top-three teams), goals seem to be at a premium.
While Liverpool has the best attack in the EPL, neither Chelsea or City are quite at that level. City’s strength is in their midfield while Chelsea is balanced yet not overly lethal anywhere. I expect a slugfest, much like it was the first time these two clubs met.
In 3 of the last 4 times these two teams have met, only 1 goal has been scored. Under 2.5 is a strong bet as two of the league’s best defenses will take the pitch.
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