A second meeting for these two in as little as three days! Two strong English rivals going hammer and tong once again for a place in the Round of 16 in the FA Cup – only one can adorn themselves in glory, this is what I think.
To Win (90 mins)
Manchester City 3/4 | Draw 14/5 | Chelsea 7/2
Manchester City
At the time of writing, City are about to play Chelsea in the Premier League, before hosting them in the FA Cup. As I said in the Premier League preview, it’s difficult to see past a City win should they kick into gear and play like we know they can. They have an intensity and prowess about them under Pep Guardiola which has now stood the test of time and won pretty much everything in England.
Players of the FPL would be familiar with the so-called ‘Pep Roulette’, effectively it is the uncanny ability of Guardiola to rotate his squad…without losing too much of its quality. I suspect this might be a feature on Sunday evening, Guardiola has made no bones about his feelings toward this time of year and the high volume of games, so expect to see wholesale changes.
I suppose the big question then is how seriously is City going to take this tournament? We all know, and the media coverage has been absolute, that what City really want is a Champions League trophy against the backdrop of the Premier League – so where does the FA Cup rank?
Nevertheless, City have the firepower to hurt Chelsea from almost every area of the pitch. They have options in midfield to dictate the game, they have numerous combinations to call on upfront and even from set pieces (an area Chelsea have struggled in) they can be lethal.
Predicted Line-up: Ederson; Akanji, Cancelo, Stones; Gundogan, Rodri, Lewis, De Bruyne; Grealish, Haaland, Mahrez
Chelsea
A lot was made about Graham Potter when he got the Chelsea job, ‘holistic football coach’, ‘cares deeply for his players and his systems’ and ‘the right young coach for Chelsea’s future’ were some of the comments made – and for the most part I agreed.
Potter proved, during his time at Brighton, that he was a coach capable of getting into the sinew of his players and extracting the very best from them. Why wouldn’t you then get excited about his prospects at Chelsea? I mean, the talent is superior, the money runs deeper, and the history of the club is far more intimidating than any opposition he might face in Europe….
So where has it gone all wrong for him? Chelsea fans continue to lament that the young coach simply needs time and support from the club. Pointing toward managers like Erik ten Hag, who started out awfully at United before finding some sort of form. My only concern is that the issue’s I have with Chelsea football club are more aligned to a lack of impotence rather than a dip in from or ability.
The Blues simply roll over too easily, their dog fight mentality seems to have been nullified and really doesn’t even play a factor anymore. At the time of writing, they have won just once since playing Dinamo Zagreb at the beginning of November and in that time scored just five goals conceding seven times.
I’m not sure this club deserves your confidence going into a fixture against City…
Predicted Line-up: Kepa; Cucurella, Silva, Koulibaly, Azpilicueta; Jorginho, Kovacic; Pulisic, Mount, Sterling; Havertz.
Verdict: Manchester City (3/4)
Manchester City win this. Simple as that. I won’t get too many pats on the back for calling a City win at 3/4, but I really cannot see Chelsea posing too much of a threat at the Etihad.
Look, 3/4 isn’t the worst price and on Manchester City I would empty the coffers!
