Manchester City vs Chelsea prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2024-02-16 17:30.
[p]Manchester City come into this big clash against Chelsea aiming to keep pressure on their Premier League title rivals. The reigning champions are in the midst of their trademark red-hot form in the second half of a season, as a 3-1 midweek victory over Copenhagen in the Champions League made it 11 successive wins across all competitions – their longest such run since a 21-game run between December 2020 and March 2021.[/p]
[p]Although they face one of their old foes, the champions will be more than confident of adding to that winning run here in front of their own fans where they’ve been formidable over the past year. City haven’t lost any of their last 22 home league games (W18, D4) and only Liverpool can boast a longer unbeaten active home run (24).[/p]
[p]Visitors Chelsea have been one of the Premier League’s biggest Jekyll and Hyde sides this season, captured best by their recent six-game form (W3, D1, L2). Within that streak, they conceded four goals in both defeats but scored 3+ times in the three wins. Two of the three victories came in their last two competitive outings away to Aston Villa and then Crystal Palace (both 3-1), and they could now bag 3+ goals in three straight away games for the first time since March 2022. [/p]
[p]That’s easier said than done against City, a team they’ve failed to win any of the last seven H2Hs against since emerging victorious in the 2021 Champions League final (D1, L6). All six defeats saw them fail to score, yet a blockbuster 4-4 draw in the reverse fixture should instil confidence in the Blues camp, as should Chelsea score two or more goals here, it would be the first time a side managed by Guardiola has conceded six league goals in a season against a single opponent. [/p]
[p]Player to watch: In what would be just his second appearance against them, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer could become the first former City player to score against them home and away in the same Premier League season. Despite only starting two of them, Kevin De Bruyne has assisted a goal in all four of Man City’s league games in 2024. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has lost more competitive matches against Guardiola (13) than he has against any other manager (W4, D6). [/p]