In this article…
3 of the recommended selections in this preview qualify for Super Sub.
Join Paddy Power to qualify for Super Sub and get £60 in Free Football Bet Builders when you place a £10 bet.
New Customer offer. Place a min. £10 bet on Football on odds of min. 1.50 (1/2) – get £60 in Free Bet Builders after the qualifying bet has been settled. Rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via cards & Apple Pay will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. AD
Man City v Chelsea
📅
Kick Off: Saturday 25th January at 17:30
🏆
Competition: Premier League
Manchester City welcome Chelsea to the Etihad with both sides struggling to find consistency at this busy period of the season. Pep Guardiola saw his side give up another 2 goal lead against PSG in the Champions League, a result that puts their chances of progression to the knockout stages at real jeopardy. It has got a bit better domestically for the reigning Premier League champions which has seen Manchester City unbeaten in their last 5 Premier League matches.
Enzo Maresca’s side got back to winning ways with a comfortable 3-1 win over Wolves at Stamford Bridge last time out, Maresca will be concerned with his sides’ tendency to drop off in spells during the 90 minutes but will be relieved to end their 5 game winless run in the Premier League before making the trip up north to face his former mentor.
⭐ Man City v Chelsea Best Bet
Chelsea’s young squad can be really exciting at times but naive on other occasions. This inconsistency is what you would expect from such a young team and this has trickled through to their disciplinary record. Chelsea’s players can struggle to keep a lid on things, not only with their challenges to the opposition but also in their protests against the referee.
Only Southampton have received more yellow cards in the Premier League this season than Chelsea (65) with the Blues picking up 64 cautions. By contrast, Manchester City have much more of a control over their discipline having only collected 41 yellow cards this campaign, the second lowest in the division with a record only bettered by Brentford.
This contrast is also reflected in the foul numbers for both sides, Chelsea are averaging 11.9 fouls committed per game compared to Manchester City’s 7.4 fouls committed per 90, the lowest in the Premier League. With such stark contrasts in foul records and disciplinary records, backing Chelsea to be shown the most cards seems a sensible selection here.
🟢 Man City v Chelsea #WhatOddsPaddy Tip
Erling Haaland leads the way in the Man City squad when it comes to shots on target, the Norwegian forward is averaging 2.31 shots on target per 90 across his 22 Premier League appearances this season. Cole Palmer’s shot output has slightly decreased this season but still sits at a respectable 1.59 shots on target per 90.
Man City are averaging 7.91 corners per game in the Premier League this season, this number increases to 9.0 when looking at their home fixtures. Chelsea are averaging 6.09 corners per game in the Premier League this season, a total that increases when just looking at their away fixtures, up marginally to 6.36 corners per game. City don’t tend to concede many corners with Pep Guardiola’s side averaging 3.14 corners conceded per game in the Premier League, but Chelsea’s steady record should see this increase slightly.
Only Southampton have been shown more yellow cards than Chelsea in the Premier League this season, with the Blues picking up 64 cautions across their 22 league games (2.90 per 90). Man City are less prolific in this department, having only been shown 41 cautions this term (1.86 per game), a total that we should see rise in a competitive game. The referee for this game is John Brooks who is averaging 5.60 yellow cards per game in the Premier League this season. At 11/1, this #WhatOddsPaddy selection is worth a wager.
👕 Man City v Chelsea Predicted XI
🔍 Man City v Chelsea Players to Watch
🔵 Phil Foden
Phil Foden has really found some form at the start of 2025 after a laboured start to the season. Of his 8 goal contributions this season in the top division, 6 have come in his last 3 Premier League games further emphasising his improvement over recent weeks.
He faces a Chelsea side that have only kept 1 clean sheet in their last 5 Premier League games which came against Everton back in December. Foden can take advantage of a depleted Chelsea backline with his recent burst of form making him the obvious danger man for Manchester City in this encounter.
⚪ Moises Caicedo
Caicedo has been having to do the job of 2 players at times in this Chelsea side, recent injuries to Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia have only compounded this issue. Caicedo covers more space than anyone else in the Chelsea squad but can mistime his challenges or be forced into making tactical fouls when other members of his team are out of position.
Due to the fact that Chelsea focus on rotations and positional play, Caicedo often has to cover his teammates – especially in the fullback areas where Enzo Maresca likes his fullback to push up into the attacking line or invert. Caicedo has been shown the joint second most cautions in the Chelsea squad (5) and has been shown a yellow card in each of his last 2 appearances against Manchester City.
🔵 Erling Haaland
Despite Manchester City’s issues in certain areas, Erling Haaland is still one of the most lethal strikers in world football and will fancy his chances of dominating a Chelsea backline that has been struck with injuries leaving first choice centre back pairing Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill on the sidelines.
Haaland is averaging 2.31 shots on target per 90 across his 22 Premier League appearances this season, a record that has translated into 17 goals for the 24-year-old. He had 2 shots on target and scored in the initial meeting between the sides on the opening day of the season and covered this line in this fixture last season, managing 9 shots overall.
📂 Man City v Chelsea Cheat Sheet
Andy’s Bet Club is the best place for Football Betting Predictions. We’ve got this week’s Premier League slate covered with Premier League Bet Builder Tips.
We’ve got plenty more in store for this week’s footballing action, look out for our Southampton v Newcastle Betting Tips or our Liverpool v Ipswich Match Preview.
💻 Man City v Chelsea Form and Tactics
Manchester City have been playing with a 4-2-3-1 on paper which becomes a 3-2-4-1 when in possession. Matheus Nunes’ role as a right back when City don’t have the ball is one to keep an eye on, City were exposed multiple times down that side of the pitch against PSG with Nunes not always having the best defensive positioning. City are averaging the most possession of any side in the Premier League this season (61.5%) but Chelsea aren’t far behind with 58.6% themselves, it’ll be interesting to see how the possession is split here with both managers wanting their team to control the game.
Maresca has been stubborn with his approach despite injuries to key players and profiles for his system. Chelsea line up in a very similar shape to Manchester City with the same switch from 4-2-3-1 to 3-2-4-1 when with the ball. There is a big emphasis on the fullbacks for Chelsea, Maresca alternates the instruction of these players based on the opposition but with Reece James back in the side expect Marc Cucurella to be tasked with coming into the midfield or joining the attacking line, expect Chelsea to target Manchester City’s obvious weakness at right back.
Get best bets sent to your inbox, it’s free.
Both sides are far from the levels they were hitting earlier in the season, Manchester City are unbeaten in 5 games in the Premier League but have shown vulnerability with dropped points against Everton and Brentford. Also worth noting that Manchester City have dropped 14 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season so don’t expect them to be too secure even if they go a few goals ahead. Chelsea ended a winless run of 5 with victory over Wolves on Monday, Maresca’s side have a tendency to lull in games and can’t always keep concentration for 90 minutes.
🏁 Man City v Chelsea Ref Watch
- Referee: John Brooks
- Worth noting that John Brooks has awarded 2 penalties against Chelsea this season, Chelsea have conceded more penalties than any other side in the Premier League this season (6).
- Chelsea have collected 64 yellow cards this season, the second most in the division.
| Average Cards (Y / R) | 5.60 / 0.00 |
| Fouls Given | 23.60 |
| Penalties | 0.20 |
Football Predictions at Andy’s Bet Club
Our guide on How To Use A Cheat Sheet is the perfect way to get involved with our Bet Builder Stats tool, the best freely available data source for punting on the Premier League.
We recommend the Best Betting Sites For Accumulators, Top Bet Builder Sites, Weekly Free Bet Clubs, and the best Premier League Free Bets but we also like specific offers like the Paddy Power Sign Up Offer and Sky Bet Sign Up Offer.
Expert guides, such as this one, on xG in Football.
* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
18+ please gamble responsibly.
