This week’s big game in the English Premier League comes from London on Saturday, when Chelsea will host leaders Manchester City. Chelsea are the defending champions and third in the table, but Manchester City has been on fire and this should be a very intriguing match between two of the best teams in the league.
What To Know About Manchester City
City continued to roll in the league, routing Crystal Palace 5-0 in their last game at home. Leroy Sane scored just before halftime for City, who got off to a slow start, but then Raheem Sterling scored twice in an eight-minute span after halftime, and Sergio Aguero and Fabian Delph added singles for City, who have now scored 21 goals in the league and allowed two. Sterling kept up his scoring in midweek as Manchester City beat Shaktar Donetsk 2-0 at home on Tuesday in the Champions League, along with a goal from Kevin De Bruyne. However, City might be without left-back Benjamin Mendy for longer than expected as he has a knee injury and they’re awaiting word. Mendy has been excellent in his short time at City, but they’re loaded everywhere else.
What To Know About Chelsea
Chelsea thumped Stoke City 4-0 away from home in their last league match as Alvaro Morata netted a hat trick, while Pedro also scored for Chelsea. Morata is now tied with Aguero and Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku for the lead in goals with six, but Morata is getting overtaken in the news by a former Chelsea striker, Diego Costa, who was sold to Atletico Madrid, who Chelsea just so happens to play in the Champions League on Wednesday. The saga between Costa and Chelsea has taken away from the fact that Morata has been very good for Chelsea since signing in the summer, and he could be the player that keeps them in the mix with the Manchester clubs. In terms of injuries leading up to Wednesday’s clash with Atletico Madrid, Pedro and defender David Luiz are concerns, and Luiz would be a more important loss for Chelsea, even with Pedro playing as well as ever in a Chelsea shirt.
Outlook
Manchester City are the favorites on the road at +140, while Chelsea is set at +190 and a draw comes in at +230. Chelsea has won five and drawn two of their last 10 meetings with Manchester City, including a pair of wins in the league last season. Chelsea needs Eden Hazard to be near his best as they’re working him back into the lineup as someone needs to work with Morata to offset the duo of Aguero and Gabriel Jesus up front for Manchester City. However, the matchup that could decide this match comes in midfield as De Bruyne has been fantastic for Manchester City so far this season, and he’ll draw a lot of attention from Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante. If De Bruyne can get the better of Kante, Manchester City has a great chance to assert their dominance at the top of the league.
EPL Betting Pick: Manchester City
Get the latest football betting lines on all of the English Premier League for this weekend at Play Shangrila!
