Chelsea vs. Man City: Prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, H2H, odds today

These two teams have already met once this summer on their respective pre-season tours of the USA, with Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick to help the reigning champions to a convincing 4-2 win in Columbus, Ohio, earlier this month.

For Enzo Maresca, it is a real baptism of fire in his first competitive game as Chelsea manager since he arrived from Leicester in June after a difficult pre-season as a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino, who was no longer used after just one season.

The Blues won only one of their six friendlies, suffered heavy defeats against City and Celtic, lost to Real Madrid and failed to beat third division side Wrexham or Inter Milan.

City also lost to Celtic and AC Milan and drew with Barcelona, in addition to their convincing win over Chelsea. However, the team will be full of confidence after beating Manchester United on penalties at Wembley last weekend to win the Community Shield.

Once again, Pep Guardiola's team enter the new season as clear title favourites and are undoubtedly the team to beat, having won an unprecedented four consecutive league titles and six of the last seven.

For Chelsea, it is the start of a new era amid another hectic transfer window as the club desperately tries to get back to winning ways. Last season, the club finished sixth after a late renaissance that was ultimately not enough for Pochettino.

Baptism of fire: Enzo Maresca takes over Chelsea’s first competitive game

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Date, kick-off time and location

Kick-off for Chelsea vs Man City is scheduled for 4:30pm BST today, Sunday 18 August 2024.

The game takes place at Stamford Bridge in west London.

Where can you watch Chelsea vs Man City?

TV channels: In the UK, the game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting at 4pm – after the end of the London derby between Brentford and Crystal Palace.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also watch the competition live online via the Sky Go app.

Live blog: You can follow all the action on match day via Standard Sport Live blog.

Team news Chelsea vs Man City

Chelsea will be without captain Reece James, who is currently recovering from another thigh injury and is also suspended for this game after being sent off against Brighton towards the end of last season.

Nicolas Jackson came off the bench in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Inter at Stamford Bridge after suffering an ankle problem that prevented him from playing in the USA. Axel Disasi was also on the bench after undergoing hernia surgery. Omari Kellyman and Djordje Petrovic also had to deal with injuries.

Out: Chelsea captain Reece James is currently injured and suspended

Chelsea FC via Getty Images

For City, Jack Grealish could feature after he picked up an injury in training and missed the Community Shield at Wembley, while Brazilian winger Savinho could make his Premier League debut after joining from sister club Troyes.

Oscar Bobb will be out of action for three to four months due to a broken leg and subsequent surgery.

Rodri, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden and John Stones have all returned to training after long breaks following their reach of the Euro 2024 final, but Rodri is out, which is a major blow for City.

Prediction for Chelsea vs. Man City

Of course, one should never read too much into previous season's form and results, even if Chelsea competed well in every game they played against City last season.

Nevertheless, it is not difficult to see that this was indeed a very difficult start to the Maresca era.

Chelsea's frustrating summer season has been littered with alarming defensive problems, which will punish Haaland and co. harshly again if they are repeated this weekend.

The Blues have shown enough in pre-season to suggest they will create plenty of chances, but they are also likely to concede plenty of goals and, despite another big-spending transfer window, do not yet have a genuine quality striker to take advantage of the opportunities that arise.

Head to Head (H2H) Comparison and Results

This game was an absolute classic last season: Cole Palmer's dramatic penalty in injury time secured a thrilling 4-4 draw against his former club in the November rain at Stamford Bridge.

The return leg at the Etihad Stadium ended 1-1 after Rodri's late equaliser, before City beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley in April thanks to a late goal from Bernardo Silva.

City had previously won six times in a row against Chelsea, who had not won a game against the champions since May 2021.

Chelsea vs Man City odds

Odds via Betfair (subject to change).

Chelsea vs. Man City: Prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, H2H, odds today

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