Chelsea vs. Manchester City Prediction: Three Lions Resume Campaign

• The 2024/25 Premier League season gets under way this weekend

• Defending champions Manchester City are targeting a fifth straight title

• Chelsea must improve after two disappointing campaigns in a row

Chelsea vs. Manchester City Odds

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Chelsea vs. Manchester City Pick

Back a Manchester City win on Sunday. Chelsea are in transition (again) and Pep Guardiola’s well-oiled machine can kick things off with a victory.

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Manchester City Remain the Team to Beat in the Premier League

Yet another record fell to Manchester City last season. This time, it was not a Premier League-only one. England’s top flight rebranded from the First Division to its current name in 1992. But what City achieved last term was something that had never been done since the launch of England’s soccer league way back in 1888: they became the first club in history to win four league titles on the bounce.

It was a close-run thing. Arsenal, runners-up for a second consecutive year, finished just a solitary point adrift of Pep Guardiola’s team. They beat City at home and drew with them away. But still, it was not enough. City came on strong in the second half of the campaign to edge out Mikel Arteta’s men. Now they are targeting a fifth championship crown in a row.

To the surprise of no one with even a passing interest in English soccer, City are the title favorite for 2024/25 with the best online sportsbooks. It has been a relatively quiet summer at the Etihad Stadium so far, with Savinho brought in and Julian Alvarez sold. More business is expected before the transfer window shuts for business at the end of the month.

Yet even if City do not add anyone else to their squad, it would be foolish to dismiss their chances. Guardiola is the best coach in the world and the group of players at his disposal have shown time and time again that they can win the biggest domestic trophy in England. Perhaps the collective appetite has been dulled after so much success, but there were few signs of that last year.

Guardiola would no doubt have wished for a kinder start to the season than this, as he prepares to lock horns with Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea manager and his former assistant. But the Blues have more to fear than this imperious City team.

More Questions Than Answers After Chaotic Chelsea Summer

For the first time in a while, a sense of optimism could be detected at Stamford Bridge towards the end of last season. 

Having been in the bottom half of the table as late as the beginning of April, Chelsea surged up to sixth after a strong end to the season. Five wins on the bounce to conclude the campaign saw the Blues qualify for the Europa Conference League, a competition they could easily win.

Then came the bombshell. Two days after the final weekend of 2023/24, Mauricio Pochettino left the club. The Argentine manager took a while to win the fans over given his Tottenham Hotspur connections, but by the time of his departure, he had the backing of most of them. Now Chelsea are back to square one again.

There are question marks over Maresca too. The Italian is clearly a gifted coach, but he has relatively little experience as a first-team manager. He did fulfill his remit of guiding Leicester City to promotion from the Championship last season, but his style of play often irritated the club’s supporters. 

Maresca will need time and patience to get his ideas across, but the Chelsea fans are frustrated with the way the club is being run. A slow start to the campaign would probably lead to dissent on the terraces. The owners have once again splashed the cash this summer, but the squad was already bloated before the addition of nine new faces.

A top-four finish is the stated aim for Chelsea in 2024/25, but getting close to the Champions League spots and going on a cup run or two would be satisfactory. The problem is, we have seen little in the Todd Boehly ownership to suggest Chelsea are about to make a breakthrough.

Manchester City Can Get Their Season Started With a Win

There are a couple of shadows looming over Manchester City. The Premier League has charged the club with 115 breaches of its financial rules and the hearing is set to begin next month.

There is also the question of Guardiola’s future. Reports suggest this could be the Catalan’s final season at the Etihad. "The reality is I'm closer to leaving than to staying,” he said in May.

In the short term, though, City are in a good place. One thing Guardiola will be looking for this term is a stronger start to the season. City have let others set the pace in the last two seasons, before catching up later on. 

Topping the table in the fall would be beneficial this time around as it could harm the confidence of clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool, the two likeliest challengers.

Chelsea are once more in a state of flux. That makes it difficult to envisage them taking points off City here. Back the champions to get off to a winning start as they seek yet another Premier League title.

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How to Watch Chelsea vs. Manchester City

• Teams: Chelsea vs Manchester City

• Location: Stamford Bridge, London, England

• Date and Time: Sunday, 18 August 2024, 11.30 AM ET 

• How to Watch: NBC