The two Champions League finalists will lock horns this weekend as Manchester City welcome Chelsea to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
City booked their place in the final with an impressive 2-0 second leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night. Coupled with their 2-1 first leg win in Paris, Man City eased through 4-1 on aggregate.
Pep Guardiola’s side were swiftly joined by Chelsea in the Champions League final after the Blues beat Real Madrid 2-0 in their second leg at Stamford Bridge. Thomas Tuchel’s side progressed 3-1 on aggregate to make it an all-English final in Istanbul later this month.
While Manchester City will be looking forward to their first Champions League final appearance, they have the small matter of wrapping-up the Premier League title to worry about first. City head into the weekend action sitting 13 points clear of second-placed Man Utd so victory over Chelsea this weekend would secure the title.
However, Chelsea also desperately need a win at the Etihad to boost their top four hopes. They sit fourth at present but with West Ham, Tottenham and Liverpool among the chasing pack, Chelsea will want a positive result to cement their position.
Betting odds
Manchester City are priced at 10/11 to win the game with Justuk.club non gamstop betting sites and those odds may temp a few casual punters given how dominant they’ve been lately.
However, Chelsea look good value at 10/3 to take all three points at the Etihad. The Londoners have been solid as a rock under Tuchel and will want to make a statement against City ahead of the Champions League final.
The draw can be backed at odds of 12/5 and that’s perhaps the safest bet as neither side will want to give much away before their meeting in Istanbul. A 1-1 draw looks a decent punt at odds of 5/1.
Team news
City have no fresh injury concerns to worry about so Guardiola has virtually a fully-fit squad to choose from, however, he will be without John Stones due to suspension.
The Spanish coach is expected to freshen things up with the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Sergio Aguero, Joao Cancelo and Rodri pushing for recalls.
Chelsea will assess the fitness of Mateo Kovacic as he’s still nursing a thigh injury that’s hampered him lately. Tuchel has no other injury worries and could make changes with the likes of Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Reece James and Kurt Zouma options.
Prediction
Man City 1-1 Chelsea: This will be an interesting game considering they’re due to meet in the Champions League final as it will be fascinating to see how the two managers approach this match.
City know the title is already in the bag and a point would be a solid result for Chelsea in their quest for the top four, so we’re expecting a cagey affair at the Etihad and are predicting a 1-1 draw this weekend.
