Chelsea vs Manchester City
Stamford Bridge, London, England
3PM EST | Peacock
Thanks to some “scandalous” calls against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal squad this past Tuesday night, the Gunners could only muster a draw versus Newcastle United. Arsenal’s dropping two points was a welcomed sight to the Manchester City faithful, as the result means the Cityzens have the ability to gain a bit of ground on the Gunners with a win against Chelsea this upcoming Thursday.
The defending champions, Man City, are once again led by their Norwegian striker Erling Haaland. The 22 year old goalscoring force du jour is on pace to smash the Premier League (PL) record for goals in a single season. Currently held jointly by Andy Cole (1993-94) and Alan Shearer (1994-95), the record number sits at 34. With that said, Haaland is already on 21 goals in just 16 total match days, that’s better than a goal a game average— simply incredible.
Meanwhile, ‘Big Six’ club, Chelsea has had a tumultuous season so far. First, manager Thomas Tuchel was given a short leash by new owner Todd Boehly, and was subsequently sacked just months into the season. Second, who once was hot managerial property, Graham Potter’s luster appears to be tarnishing by the day as he hasn’t been able to improve Chelsea’s form since taking over for Tuchel. Third, The Blues spent nearly £250 million in the summer transfer window to bolster a squad that should be competing for a Premier League title, however, the key additions, such as Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling, and Marc Cucurella have all been far from their best. As a result, The Blues, currently sitting tenth in the PL table, are a whopping 10 points back of Manchester United for fourth. Moreover, the league title run is already over, considering Chelsea is now 19 points adrift London rivals and table setters, Arsenal.
LSB Prediction
With that said, one would expect City to run away with this match and secure all three points, however this could be the perfect time for Chelsea to show its grit on the prime time stage at Samford Bridge. I expect goals from both sides in this one. Haaland will strike for City and Havertz will remind everyone of his quality, as he nets for Chelsea. Thus, it’s going to be a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes. A building block result for Chelsea, but a missed opportunity for Pep Guardiola and his Cityzens as they fail to close the gap with the Gunners.
Chelsea 1 - 1 Manchester City