These two sides have met once this summer on their respective pre-season tours of the United States, with Erling Haaland’s hat-trick helping the reigning champions to a 4-2 victory in Columbus, Ohio earlier this month.
It was a baptism of fire for Enzo Maresca in his first competitive game in charge of Chelsea since he was signed from Leicester to replace the outgoing Mauricio Pochettino in June, with pre-season having been a struggle.
The Blues won just one of their six games in total, suffering heavy losses to City and Celtic as well as being beaten by Real Madrid and failing to beat third-tier Wrexham as well as Inter Milan.
City also lost to Celtic and AC Milan and drew with Barcelona to secure a big win over Chelsea, although they will be high on confidence after beating Manchester United on penalties to lift the Community Shield at Wembley last weekend.
Once again Pep Guardiola’s side enter the new campaign as strong title favorites and are still the team to beat, having won their fourth league title in a row and six of their last seven.
For Chelsea, it’s the start of another new era amid a busy transfer window as they are desperate to try and get back into contention, having finished sixth last season only after a late renaissance that ultimately wasn’t enough for Pochettino.
Baptism of fire: Enzo Maresca takes charge of Chelsea for the first time in a competitive game
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Date, kick-off time and venue
Chelsea v Man City is scheduled for 16:30 BST kick-off time on Sunday 18 August 2024.
The match will be played at Stamford Bridge in west London.
Where to watch Chelsea vs Man City
TV Channels: In the UK, the game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting at 4pm – following the conclusion of the London derby between Brentford and Crystal Palace.
Live broadcast: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday through Standard sport live blog.
Chelsea vs Man City team news
Chelsea are without captain Reece James, who is currently nursing a hamstring injury and is also suspended for this game after being sent off against Brighton at the end of last season.
Nicolas Jackson came off the bench in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Inter at Stamford Bridge after an ankle problem ruled him out of the United States, while Axel Disasi was also on the bench after recovering from hernia surgery. Omari Kellyman and Djordje Petrovic have also struggled.
Sidelined: Chelsea captain Reece James is currently injured and suspended
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The likes of new signings Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tosin Adarabioyo, Filip Jorgensen and Marc Guiu will also be hoping to compete for a competitive debut at Chelsea, although Conor Gallagher is waiting to complete a move to Atletico Madrid.
For City, Jack Grealish is a doubt for the opener after suffering a knock in training and missed the Community Shield at Wembley, although Brazilian winger Savinho could make his Premier League debut after joining from sister club Troyes.
Rodri, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden and John Stones are all now back in training after long breaks following their run to the Euro 2024 finals.
Chelsea vs Man City Prediction
You shouldn’t read too much into pre-season form and results, as Chelsea matched City well in every game they played last season.
However, despite this, it is not difficult to see this as a very difficult start to the Maresca era.
Chelsea’s frustrating summer campaign has been marred by alarming defensive problems which Haaland and Co will be punished for if repeated this weekend.
The Blues showed enough in pre-season to suggest they will create plenty of chances, but they will also score plenty of goals and despite a big-spending transfer window so far, they still lack a good striker. to capitalize on the opportunities that will be presented.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
This match was an absolute classic last season, with Cole Palmer’s dramatic penalty in stoppage time securing a 4-4 draw against his former club in a rainy November at Stamford Bridge.
The return leg at the Etihad Stadium ended 1-1 after Rodri’s late equaliser, before City beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley in April thanks to Bernardo Silva’s late goal.
City previously won six on the bounce against Chelsea, who have not won a game against the champions since May 2021.
Chelsea vs Man City match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
