English heavyweights Chelsea and Manchester City will lock horns in the most highly anticipated fixture of Matchday 1 of the 2024-25 Premier League season. Read on to get all the key information ahead of the game.
Premier League: Chelsea vs Manchester City – Where To Watch In The US
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea will welcome Pep Guardiola’s defending champions Manchester City to Stamford Bridge for their first match of the 2024-25 Premier League season. The game will kick off at 4:30 pm BST / 11:30 am ET / 8:30 am PT on Sunday, August 18.
Fans can watch the game on TV by tuning into NBC and Telemundo. One can also stream the game live via NBC.com and Peacock.
Chelsea vs Manchester City – Preview
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Mauricio Pochettino’s successor Maresca had a disappointing pre-season tournament in the United States. They began with a 2-2 draw with Welsh side Wrexham before succumbing to a 4-1 defeat against Celtic. In their third match, the Pensioners claimed a big 3-0 victory over Club America, but it did not mark the beginning of a turnaround. They lost 4-2 to Manchester City in their penultimate game before capping off the tour with a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid.
Chelsea squared off with Inter Milan in a friendly clash at Stamford Bridge on August 11, but could only eke out a 1-1 draw.
Manchester City also had a poor pre-season by their lofty standards. They opened with a 4-3 defeat to Celtic before losing 3-2 to AC Milan. In match three, the Cityzens held Barca to a 2-2 draw but lost 4-1 on penalties. Guardiola’s men, however, ended on a high, beating Chelsea 4-2 at Ohio Stadium.
Less than a week after returning from the pre-season tour, City faced Manchester United in the FA Community Shield. The two Manchester clubs played out a 1-1 draw before City won 7-6 on penalties.
Team News
Chelsea captain Reece James will sit the game out with a hamstring injury whereas Omari Kellyman and Djordje Petrovic are doubtful as they are recovering from knocks. Conor Gallagher may also sit this one out as he waits on Atletico Madrid to finalize his transfer. Chelsea’s biggest signing of the summer, Pedro Neto, could make his debut.
City, meanwhile, could give limited minutes to 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024) finalists Kyle Walker, Rodri, Phil Foden and John Stones, who recently returned to training. Oscar Bobb will not play after fracturing his leg. City’s sole signing for the summer, Savinho, could get his Premier League debut.
Head-to-Head
As per the data from Evening Standard, Chelsea and Manchester City have squared off 178 times over the years. Chelsea has a narrow edge in head-to-heads with 71 wins. City, meanwhile, has 66 wins to their name while there have been 41 draws.
Chelsea vs Manchester City – Prediction
Pochettino took a long time to get Chelsea firing and we believe Maresca also has a similar journey ahead of him. To make matters worse, the ex-Leicester City manager will face the most formidable team in the division on his competitive debut. Cole Palmer could once again be Chelsea’s standout performer, but we are not expecting him to perform a miracle.
We are predicting Man City will walk away with a solid 3-1 win against Chelsea this weekend.
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