Manchester City continues to stumble in the 2019-20 campaign, losers of two of their last five and sliding to fourth place in the English Premier League table, a point behind Chelsea (and surprising Leicester City) — and nine points behind EPL-leading Liverpool. This week, City has a chance to move past one of the two teams tied for second as they prepare to host Chelsea on Saturday. Chelsea comes in having won five in a row, but their two draws and two losses on the season also have them looking up at Liverpool att his point. Can Chelsea pick up what would be a huge road win? Or will City move back into at least third place in the table? We have your sports betting preview for this English soccer matchup.
Manchester City vs Chelsea 2019 EPL Odds & Betting Preview
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️@sterling7 4′@aguerosergiokun 13′@aguerosergiokun 19′@IlkayGuendogan 25′@aguerosergiokun 56′ (P)@sterling7 80′ The Last Time we faced Chelsea at the Etihad… 🔵 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/4qXkKeHNy1
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 22, 2019
- When: Saturday, November 23, 2019, 1:30 pm ET
- Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
- TV: NBC
- Radio: None
- Live Stream: NBCSports.com
- Soccer Odds: City 4/9 / Draw 19/5 / Chelsea 5/1 / O/U 2.5 (Over at 2/5)
Why should you bet on the Blues?
Chelsea hosted Crystal Palace last week and rolled to a 2-0 win that featured a tense first half before the Blues pulled away after the intermission. The match was scoreless at halftime, but then Tammy Abraham found the back of the net six minutes into the second half, and Christian Pulisic added the insurance goal in the 79th minute. The offensive statistics are even more lopsided in favor of the Blues, as they outshot the visitors 23-3 (5-1 on target), possessing for 61 percent of the game. Crystal Palace did not apply much pressure at all, failing to force a single corner.
Chelsea played City tough the last time they met, going to a scoreless draw back in February in the EFL Cup. When the two teams met the last time in Premier League play at the Etihad, City rolled to a 6-0 rout — but that was last season. Chelsea has been much more consistent than City has this time around.
Why should you put your money on the Citizens?
Manchester City went to Liverpool in their last Premier League fixture, looking to make a dent in the lead that the Reds have taken atop the table. That plan did not succeed, as Liverpool won, 3-1. In that game, City controlled possession for 55 percent of the game and sent 18 shots toward the Liverpool net, but they could not convert, and just three shots went on target. Liverpool took advantage of defensive chaos on the City back line, as Fabinho opened the scoring in the sixth minute, and Mohamed Salah cashed in just seven minutes later. Sadio Mane made it a laugher six minutes after the intermission, and it was up to Bernardo Silva to give the visitors a touch of dignity in the 78th minute.
City has a significant amount of offensive talent, but they could not penetrate the Liverpool defense — this is why so many of their shots were from distance and off target. The Citizens did mount some pressure, forcing 13 corners, but they were not able to overcome problems on their own back end. If you like City here, you see them fixing those back-line issues and getting a new winning streak started at home.
Final Score Prediction
There should be plenty of scoring in this match, as Manchester City leads the Premier League in goals scored at home, with 19, while Chelsea leads in goals scored on the road, with 18. So I would definitely put some money on the “over.” I also see City getting their system back in place at home — you don’t win back-to-back EPL titles if you can’t bounce back from adversity. I predict a final score of City 3, Chelsea 2.
