The challenge for the Premier League title may be a one-horse race at the moment, but on Saturday that could all change.
Man City (first, 53 points) host Chelsea (second, 43 points) at the Etihad in a match that could virtually seal the title for the Citizens in mid-January or reignite a real title challenge from the Blues. The potential six-point turnaround means Man City could hold a seemingly insurmountable 13-point lead at the top, or Chelsea could move closer to seven and make things interesting.
Chelsea have just finished their resounding Carabao Cup semi-final win over Tottenham, emphatically beating Spurs in two games and serving as a statement to the rest of England that Chelsea remain a force to be reckoned with.
Taking on Man City, however, is an entirely different task, as the title favorites have looked almost unplayable at times this season, with machine quality for the team.
How to watch Man City vs Chelsea
- Date: Saturday, January 15
- Hour: 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time
- Television channel: —
- Transmission: Peacock (subscribers only)
Saturday’s game between Man City and Chelsea from the Etihad will be broadcast exclusively on NBC Peacock’s premium streaming platform in the US.
Projected Man City vs. Chelsea
An outbreak of COVID-19 among the Man City squad has left a total of seven first-team players, and manager Pep Guardiola, isolated, and while the manager is back in action, it is unclear how many of the players will return. Guardiola also confirmed in his pre-match press conference that there are new positives in the squad, but he did not reveal which players are the new ones affected.
Along with that unknown is City who remains in service at AFCON 2022, but is believed to be available for selection after coming back from a bump. He is expected to return to the bench following his deployment in goal for the final FA Cup game, unless he is one of those affected by COVID-19.
Ederson (GK) — Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo — Gundogan, Rodri, B. Silva — De Bruyne, Jesus, Foden.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has no new injury concerns to navigate, but the team is still beset by long-term problems such as and , while he remains out with a hamstring strain.
The goalie job is still in service at AFCON 2022. It’s another absence (COVID-19), but the roster is otherwise fit. It will be interesting to see if Tuchel returns to his usual 3-4-3 system, or if he continues with the 4-3-3 deployed in midweek against Tottenham. If it is the 3-4-3 and he is required to play as part of the central three, then he could revert to his role at right back.
Kepa (GK) – Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger – Pulisic, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso – Mount, Havertz – Lukaku.
Man City Vs. Chelsea
Odds courtesy of DraftKings
Obviously Man City, the best team in the Premier League by a decent margin, should be the favorites in this match. But why? It’s hard to look past the crazy odds assigned to European champions Chelsea. And even if you’re not interested in picking the Blues outright, you can take cover a bit while finding positive odds.
Man City are a spectacular team, but still not without their flaws, and this Chelsea team is in great form and had Man City’s number last season. Few would argue backing the Blues here with double chance coverage (+120) or one minus (+100) or both!
- money line: Manchester City -145 / Draw +290 / Chelsea +400
- Spread: Manchester City -0.5 (-140) / Chelsea +0.5 (+120)
- O/U 2.5 total goals: More than -125 / Less than +100
- Both teams score: Yes -140 / No +105