Man City vs Chelsea Betting Odds – Chelsea continue home dominance over Man City
Online betting players should know better than to bet against Chelsea at home, where they have yet to lose this season. Manchester City will be the next team to try and snag three points at Stamford Bridge, but with their recent track record against Chelsea and their inconsistent road play, your best bet is the home team in this battle of the blues.
The Storyline: Man City vs Chelsea Betting Odds
Man City is tied with Tottenham in fourth place in the Premiership, which is for the final Champions League place in England. Chelsea sits atop the Premiership, just one point ahead of Manchester United. Both have cup ties on Wednesday (Chelsea in the Champions League at Inter Milan and former manager Jose Mourinho, Man City in the FA Cup at Stoke City), and depth will be play a big role in this match.
Offensive Matchups: Man City vs Chelsea Betting Odds
The Man City attack has struggled lately, as Emmanuel Abedayor is their only healthy striker. Craig Bellamy and Roque Santa Cruz have been banged up, while Carlos Tevez had to go back to Argentina to attend to a family problem, although he should be back for Saturday’s match. Man City didn’t even look like scoring in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool at home last week.
Chelsea is powered by Didier Drogba, who is in amazing form. Drogba scored both in a 2-0 win at Wolves last week, and he has six goals in four games since coming back from the African Cup of Nations. This makes up for a struggling Nicolas Anelka, who hasn’t scored in four matches, and Chelsea will need him to step up if Frank Lampard doesn’t recover from his virus.
Soccer pick: Draw
Defensive Matchups: Man City vs Chelsea Betting Odds
Man City’s defense has been up and down all season, and even though they kept a clean sheet against Liverpool, that was at home, and it’s not like the Reds are scaring anyone with their attack. It looks like the high-priced defense is still getting used to each other, but Jolean Lescott in particular hasn’t looked good.
Since Mourinho, Chelsea’s sportsbook odds have focused around their defense, powered by captain John Terry. Despite his off-field problems, Terry is the best central defender in England and outside of a shaky showing in a loss at Everton two weeks ago, Terry hasn’t looked out of sorts. Even with injuries to Ashley Cole, Jose Bosingwa, Alex and midfielder Michael Essien, Chelsea’s back line has held firm.
Soccer pick: Chelsea
Notable Injuries: Man City vs Chelsea Betting Odds
Bellamy (knee) and Santa Cruz (knee) have been playing through their injuries, but with Tevez back, at least one will find themselves sitting out.
Lampard (virus), Deco (knee), Julian Belletti (knee), Essien (knee) and Bosingwa (knee) are all questionable, but Lampard is the most likely to play. Cole (ankle) and Alex (knee) are definitely out.
Soccer picks: Man City
Totals: Man City vs Chelsea Betting Odds
Six of the last 10 meetings between these two have gone under the posted total, but with a rampant Drogba and a shaky Man City defense at home, Chelsea may be able to beat the total by themselves.
Pick: Over 2.5
Betting Prediction: Man City vs Chelsea Betting Odds
Chelsea has dominated this matchup lately, winning eight and drawing of their last 10 against Man City. However, their lone loss came in the last meeting, when Shay Given stopped a Lampard penalty in the late minutes of a 2-1 win, and Chelsea would love to avenge that. Chelsea has turned Stamford Bridge into a fortress with 12 wins and a draw in 13 home matches this year, and Man City hasn’t been very convincing on the road. Don’t expect Man City to do their United neighbors any favors and hand Chelsea a loss.
Free picks: Chelsea -200
