Chelsea vs Manchester City: EPL Predictions, Odds & Best Bets (8/18)

The English Premier League is finally off and running and today we have quite the matchup to get us started. Manchester City visits Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea and open their 2024-25 EPL Season. Now, the major news surrounding Manchester City will be an inevitable point deduction that will happen at some point this next season. Should that scare anyone off of this powerhouse? Not necessarily, however, this deduction is likely going to be within the 30-80 point range, thus most likely putting City near the bottom of the table.

If that is true, then Manchester City’s only hope for playing in the UEFA Champions League next year would be excelling in the tournament this year. Thus, I see their focus being heavily geared towards the UCL. Man City also mourns the loss of stud forward, Julian Alvarez, who transferred to Atletico Madrid this summer. Regardless, these two EPL Goliath’s take on one another to start their campaign. After finishing 6th last season, Chelsea will certainly look to put themselves in a UCL spot and better compete this season.

Let’s dive into this matchup and find our best bets!

Check out our 2024-2025 EPL Preview!

Chelsea vs Manchester City: Classic Match to Start the Season

Chelsea vs Manchester City

• Venue: Stamford Bridge (London, UK)
• Date: Sunday, August 17th, 2024
• Kick Off: 11:30am Eastern
• Broadcast: NBC

Betting Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, an industry leader in the sports betting world. Sign up today using code BNEWS and get a 50% deposit bonus up to $1,000 AND $10 Cash Instantly in your account.

Money Line

• Chelsea +288
• Draw +288
• Manchester City -108

Draw No Bet

• Chelsea +180
• Manchester City -225

Total

• Over 3 (-110)
• Under 3 (-106)

Can Chelsea Slow Down Manchester City?

Chelsea is yet again under new management, but they did revamp their strikers. Pedro Neto made the move over from Wolverhampton and will start alongside Cole Palmer who has a breakout season. Romelu Lukaku and Chrisopher Nkunku also add some veteran depth to their offensive attack.

Despite Manchester City losing Julian Alvarez, they are still Man City. They have world class talent in nearly every position, and with Pep looking to w in his 5th consecutive EPL title, I see this team coming out very focused today to start this journey. While I am still waiting on confirmed lineups, I do have to side with Manchester City in this match.

Chelsea built some good momentum at the end of last season, however they let go of their manager after one year, who is now Head Coach of the USMNT. I think it will take the Blues a little bit longer to become used to his style of coaching, and therefore may take a few games to work out the issues and kinks in the plan.

Ultimately, I see Manchester City being a very tough opponent to score on, even with Chelsea’s new players up top. I see Manchester City using this specific game as a warm up for the rest of the season. They want to capitalize and gain 3 points, but more importantly, they want to solidify their tactics and strategies and know that they work. Testing the waters against Chelsea should be the perfect match for Pep to get his guy’s back in EPL form.

Chelsea vs Manchester City Best Bets

Best Bet: Chelsea/Man City Under 3 (-106) BetOnline

Personally, I see this being a very low scoring game, with Manchester City possibly pulling away to win 1-0 or 2-0 (Both at +1000). I do think Manchester City keeps a clean sheet at (+240), but don’t have the stones to actually throw down. Of course, we have some nice push potential in this pick as well, as a 2-1 final would give us our money back.

Ultimately, I see Chelsea being very conservative and holding on to their defensive back line as long as they can. They know what Manchester City is capable of, but they can try their hardest to stop them for 90 minutes and somehow walk away with a point. As for Man City, being on the road with a big point deduction, I either see them throwing in the towel, and not caring about league games at all. Or, I see them coming out extremely aggressive in an attempt to show teams they are still a force to be reckoned with.

Either way, I see Chelsea not scoring at all, and Manchester City eventually finding the back of the net to secure 3 points. In this match today, I think we see both defenses play incredible soccer by limiting chances, disrupting the opposing strikers, and not messing around with it in the back. Give me both defenses to show out as this game stays under 3 total goals.

Still Want More Soccer Content?

Here at Betting News, we offer Free Expert Picks for every major sports league. We also host daily streams on our Twitch Channel with our best bets, as well as sweat out games on Playback! Be sure to tune into everything we have going on at our Youtube, TikTok, and X pages as well.

• Expert Soccer Picks
• English Premier League Preview
• USMNT Hire Next Head Coach