Manchester City fans can almost taste the delicious sweetness of a famous 2022/23 treble.
After a 4-0 demolition of European blue blood Real Madrid on Wednesday, a result that sent shockwaves through the global football community, City are now on the precipice of a famous season.
They turn their sights back to the Premier League, a competition they lead by four points with a game in hand, to take on Chelsea with just three matches remaining in the season. City are also set to contest the FA Cup final against Manchester United and the Champions League final against Inter Milan, leaving them on the cusp of a remarkable three titles.
Chelsea, meanwhile, sit 11th in the league table, twice as close to the relegation zone (11-point gap) as they are to the top four (23-point gap). It's been an especially rough end to the season for the Blues, who are riding with Frank Lampard on an interim basis despite just one win in their past 11 matches across all competitions.
MORE: What Man City need to do to win a famous treble
Man City vs Chelsea match facts
- Date: Sunday, May 21
- Kickoff Time: 11 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. BST / 3 a.m. AEST (Mon, May 22)
- Location: Etihad Stadium (Manchester, England)
- Official: Michael Oliver
- Last meeting: Man City 4-0 Chelsea (Jan. 8, 2023 | FA Cup)
Man City vs Chelsea prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Man City (-400)
- Handicap lean: Man City -1.5 (-150)
- Score prediction: Man City 2-0 Chelsea
The Etihad has been an absolute fortress for Man City all season long, and it will be electric on Sunday in the wake of the team's resounding success over Real Madrid midweek.
With the treble a real possibility, the fans have shown their excitement and made the City home ground a really tough place to play. That will make things exceptionally difficult for Chelsea, and any chance of a hangover from the Madrid match will be dampened by the home crowd. Expect City to roll in comfortable fashion, just like the betting market predicts, and the handicap has far better value than the moneyline.
| Man City win | Draw | Chelsea win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 3.5 goals | MCI -1.5 | CHE +1.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) | -400 | +525 | +1000 | +100 / -140 | +125 / -175 | -150 | +105 |
| Sports Interaction (Canada) | -464 | +530 | +900 | -109 / -143 | +120 / -167 | -149 | +112 |
| SkyBet (UK) | 2/9 | 21/4 | 11/1 | 1/1, 8/11 | 6/5, 8/13 | — | — |
| Neds (Australia) | 1.24 | 5.60 | 12.00 | 1.95 / 1.75 | 2.25 / 1.64 | — | — |
| Dafabet (India) | 1.23 | 6.20 | 11.00 | 2.00 / 1.75 | 2.25 / 1.64 | 1.69 | 2.17 |
Man City vs Chelsea: best bet
- Pick: Multiple correct score — 1-0, 2-0, or 3-0
- Odds: +165 (BetMGM)
Chelsea have looked better up front of late against lesser opponents like Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, but watching Real Madrid hardly get a touch of the ball on Wednesday, it's hard to see the Blues being able to muster an effective counter-attack with any ferocity.
The Chelsea midfield is limping to the finish line, Joao Felix has been sporadically effective on loan, and the Blues are in trouble at left-back. There's too many holes in this Chelsea squad to see them putting up a fight.
While obviously this selection could be taken down by a Chelsea goal against the run of play, it feels more likely to be undone by a City onslaught that exceeds the three-goal gap. Yet considering City are likely to suffer at least some form of hangover from the incredible Real Madrid showing, it's hard to imagine that coming to fruition as well. This is a safe play for the value, given most bets on City to win comfortably are less generous.
Man City vs Chelsea prop bet
- Pick: Kevin De Bruyne anytime assist
- Odds: -105 (FanDuel)
OR
- Pick: Jack Grealish anytime assist
- Odds: +175 (FanDuel)
As much as we hoped the value on Erling Haaland to score would be available given he deferred to teammates in two consecutive Champions League games, his unheard-of -250 anytime goal scorer mark is just too terrible to rely on.
Instead, we'll defer to a much more valuable play of in-form Kevin De Bruyne to pick up another assist. The Belgian can obviously score goals on his own, but his creativity is at world-class levels currently: he picked up a pair of assists midweek against Madrid and has registered four assists in his previous five Premier League games on 3.92 xA.
However, it's entirely possible that, with two tougher Premier League games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford on the horizon, plus the two tournament finals to navigate, Pep Guardiola uses this opportunity to rest De Bruyne. Wait until lineups are released to make this selection.
If De Bruyne is sat, bettors can instead look to Jack Grealish to carry the creative load. The former Aston Villa star has been asked to do a lot of behind-the-scenes dirty work by Guardiola of late, but he eviscerated Dani Carvajal and Federico Valverde across both Champions League semifinal legs, and he torched West Ham for an assist on 0.98 xA with De Bruyne on the bench.
Man City vs Chelsea live stream, TV channel
MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA
MORE: Watch Man City vs Chelsea match live with Fubo in Canada
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo | Fubo, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo |
| Canada | — | Fubo |
| UK | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League | Sky Sports |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport Premier League | Sky Sport NOW |
| India | — | Hotstar VIP, JioTV |
| Hong Kong | Now Premier League (620), Now Premier League 1 (621) | Now E, Now Player |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport 3 | Astro Go, sooka |
| Singapore | — | StarHub TV+ |
