Saturday, at 17:30, we are focusing on the 16th round of the Premier League derby, which opposes Chelsea and Manchester City. “Citizens” start favorites in the Stamford Bridge dispute, but Maurizio Sarri has a full squad available, unlike Pep Guardiola.
Chelsea has a tremendous share of victory, though it’s capable of high-quality football! The two bands met in the Supercup of England in early summer, and City wounded Wembley with a comfortable 2-0. Since then, London has suffered only two defeats in all competitions, including Tottenham and Wolverhampton, both in the championship. Wolves’ failure was recorded even in the last round (1-2), when defending Sarri betrayed him. However, Chelsea’s combination play remains a good one, and Hazard, Willian or Giroud’s attack in the game guarantees the show in the evening on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola can not rely on Mangala and Mendy, while Aguero (muscle aches) and Kevin De Bruyne (knee injury) are uncertain. Manchester City has 13 wins and two draws in 15 stages, being the current leader in England (Goal 45-7). Chelsea is in 4th place (goal 31-13) and has one of the best attacks in the championship. City defenses are good on figures, but Europe has shown its vulnerabilities, especially against Olympique Lyon. There will not be an unbalanced match, given the quality Sarri’s team enjoys. It will be interesting to see how the hosts will succeed in blocking the impeccable circulation of “citizens” steps.
Last season, Chelsea lost to Wolverhampton, and Manchester City won 2-1 at Watford, thanks to two quick goals scored in the first half. “Citizens” have a long series of invincibility in the championship, but they have received a goal in 4 of their last 5 games, and Pep’s defenders often lose focus, especially when the team is in the advantage. With two failures in the last three stages of the championship, Chelsea needs an immaculate performance to hope for victory, but we will bet on an open match with dangerous phases at both gates. We note that City has won the last three straight duels without winning the goal: 2-0, 1-0 and 1-0!
THE PROBABLE TEAMS
Chelsea: Kepa – Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso – Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic – Pedro, Giroud, Hazard
Man. City: Ederson – Walker, Stones, Laporte, Delph – B. Silva, Fernandinho, D. Silva – Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling
PREDICTION: Both teams to score / YES @ 1.60
