Chelsea vs Manchester City Prediction and Betting Tips: Blue on Blue Violence At Stamford Bridge

Things seemed to be looking up when Chelsea beat Aston Villa 4-1 at the start of March, days after a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal.

However, back to back defeats to Newcastle and Everton means Rosenior's men have now won just once in their last five league games.

They face a City side who have shrugged off their 5-1 aggregate Champions League exit to Real Madrid to look ever sharper, beating Arsenal 2-0 in the EFL Cup final before demolishing Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

The visitors' nine-point chasm to leaders Arsenal arguably should not be taken at face value either, as Man City still have that precious game in hand and will welcome the Gunners to the Etihad next weekend.

Sunday’s game comes after Arsenal have faced Bournemouth, so the gap at the top could well be extended to 12 points by the time kick-off rolls around at Stamford Bridge.

Or, if the Gunners slip up again, then Pep Guardiola’s men may well feel the race is well and truly on.

*Odds sourced from SportyBet and are correct at the time of publishing. Always gamble responsibly.

The result of Arsenal’s game against Bournemouth on Saturday could have a psychological impact on this match.

If the Gunners were to drop points at the Emirates Stadium, it would give Manchester City a huge boost the following day. But even if Arsenal were to come out on top, City have the experience and maturity to not let it affect their performance.

Chelsea may have demolished Port Vale last weekend, but they remain in a difficult spot. City should prove too strong for Rosenior’s charges.

Four of Chelsea’s last seven competitive fixtures have seen at least five goals, crossing the 4.5 mark. Rosenior’s side have seen an average of 2.9 goals per league game. 11 of their 31 outings have gone beyond 3.5 total goals.

City boast similar numbers: 2.9 goals per league game, but only seven of their 30 matches have crossed the 3.5 mark. Yet, when Guardiola’s side hit their stride, few teams can stop them.

Their four-goal display against Liverpool was a testament of their ability to dismantle defences. Chelsea have the home advantage at Stamford Bridge, but City are backed by Haaland’s scoring prowess. Expect a flurry of goals in London.

Manchester City were back to their best in both the EFL Cup final and the 4-0 thumping of Liverpool last weekend.

One of the most pleasing elements of the Liverpool performance for Guardiola must have been Haaland’s emphatic return to form.

The Norway international hit a hat-trick against the Reds, making it the first time he has scored more than one goal in a game since December 20.

Chelsea are not the most convincing outfit defensively, and Haaland is primed to take advantage of any slip-ups from the home team’s rearguard.

Chelsea: (4-2-3-1)

Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Adarabioyo, Cucurella; Santos, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Estevao; J Pedro

Manchester City: (4-2-3-1)

Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O'Reilly; Silva, Rodri; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland

Chelsea captain Reece James is running out of time to shake off a thigh injury, while vice-captain Enzo Fernandez remains dropped for comments over his future, despite "making peace" with the club earlier in the week.

Filip Jorgensen is on the road to recovery after groin surgery, but Robert Sanchez is expected to continue in goal. Beniot Badiashile will hope to recover from an illness to be involved. Trevor Chalobah is still a few weeks away from returning.

Man City will be buoyed by the return of Ruben Dias, but it remains to be seen if the centre-back will start given Abdukodir Khusanov and Marc Guehi's impressive form. 

John Stones is expected to remain sidelined.