Opening Premier League Match Week: Chelsea vs. Man City Prediction, Odds, Betting Tips and Best Bets

Kicking off the Premier League season with a bang, the defending champions Manchester City will face off against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a marquee matchup on Sunday.

City are fresh off winning the Community Shield on penalties over rivals Manchester United, now set to begin defense of their record four consecutive EPL crowns. Pep Guardiola's side has shown a few vulnerabilities in the summer, with Julian Alvarez sold and Oscar Bobb suffering an injury, but still sit as a titan of European football.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are coming off an extremely rocky season in which they finished sixth, and despite a late-season uptick in performances and results, Mauricio Pochettino did not survive as manager. Enzo Maresca has been brought on, and there is expected to be yet another period of growth for a young squad in massive flux.

BET NOW:Latest odds for Premier League games and best bets for the Chelsea vs. Man City match on BetMGM

The Blues have an enormously bloated squad of no fewer than 45 first-team players, creating significant uncertainty at nearly every position and leaving Maresca to sort out all the congestion to find some semblance of consistency.

Chelsea vs. Man City prediction, oddsMoneyline lean: Man City (-120)Score prediction: Chelsea 1-3 Man City

While Man City appear slightly more vulnerable coming into the coming season than in previous years, they remain one of the most formidable teams in Europe. On the flip side, Chelsea showed promise at the end of last season but the dismissal of Mauricio Pochettino has raised questions about whether that will continue.

Both clubs proved defensively vulnerable in preseason, but it's hard to draw too many emphatic conclusions from summer friendlies. Man City showed they are still vigilant at the back against Man United, but Chelsea have a much longer recent history of defensive frailties. Two-time reigning Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland will have his say in this match.

 BetMGM
(USA)Chelsea win+290Draw+300Man City win-120Both teams
to scoreY: -210
N: +145Over / Under
3.5 goalsO: +115
U: -160Man City
-0.5 goals-135Chelsea
+0.5 goals-105Chelsea vs. Man City match factsDate: Sunday, August 18, 2024Kickoff Time: 4:30 p.m. local (11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT)Location: Stamford Bridge (London, England)Referee: Anthony Taylor, VAR: Michael SalisburyLast meeting: Man City 1-0 Chelsea (Apr. 20, 2024 | FA Cup) Chelsea vs. Man City best betPick: Man City over 2.5 goalsOdds: +175 (BetMGM)

While the Man City attacking unit looked somewhat muted during the Community Shield last weekend, there's no doubting that they boast a formidable front line that will be licking its chops against a Chelsea side that's been all out of sorts defensively since Enzo Maresca arrived.

Chelsea conceded an astonishing 13 goals across their six preseason matches, during which Maresca himself pleaded for fans to give him time for his philosophies to take hold. They have struggled to maintain the very high defensive line Maresca likes to deploy, and it will be ripe for Man City to take advantage of here.

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Chelsea vs. Man City prop bet

Pick: Christopher Nkunku 3+ total shotsOdds: +110 (FanDuel)

While Chelsea have looked a mess defensively in preseason, their forward unit has been a net positive. One of the most promising performances came from Christopher Nkunku, who is finally healthy again after an injury-plagued first year in blue.

Nkunku has been both a creative and shot-taking option for Chelsea in the attack, but when used up front, he's been a volume-heavy shooter. He took three shots in 90 minutes against this very Man City team during a friendly last month in Raleigh, and he ripped off four against Inter in their final preseason tuneup of the summer despite playing just 45 minutes, all with Nicolas Jackson also on the pitch at the same time.

Chelsea vs. Man City live stream, TV channel TV channelStreamingUSANBCFubo USA, PeacockCanada —Fubo CanadaUK Main Event, Premier LeagueSky Go

For the first marquee matchup of the 2024/25 Premier League season, NBCUniversal has decided to televise this match on the NBC network channel. This means the match will be available on Fubo, who are offering a free trial for new users.

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Fubo is the exclusive home of the Premier League in Canada, with all 380 matches of the 2024/25 season to be streamed live on the platform.

Domestically in the UK, this match will be televised and streamed on platforms.