Two of the Premier League’s big boys meet on Saturday as Chelsea hosts Manchester City. Pep Guardiola is on the brink of losing four straight games against one particular team for the first time in his career.
Bookmaker William Hill has the odds at 1.91 for this tight affair to finish with both teams not scoring while the odds are at 4.20 for a score draw.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 24th, 9:30 A.M. (EST)
Guardiola took all of his three previous losses against the Blues at the end of last season during a six-week stretch, which included the Champions League final.
Thomas Tuchel had previously never beaten the Spaniard in four meetings before starting his winning streak. Jürgen Klopp is the only other manager to get the better of Guardiola in three consecutive matchups.
Last season’s success also means that Chelsea can win four straight games against Man City for the first time since 2009 when they put together an eight-game winning run.
To avoid another disappointing result, Guardiola has to find a way to squeeze goals out of his star-studded troops. Following last week’s goalless draw with Southampton, City are in danger of firing blanks in back-to-back league games for the first time under Guardiola.
Guardiola’s men have already failed to score in two Premier League outings in 2021-22. City haven’t been shut out three times in the first six league fixtures since 2006.
Avoiding another goalless effort will be a big challenge with Chelsea having recorded 15 clean sheets in 24 Premier League matches since Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard.
Four of Chelsea’s clean sheets have come this season with only Mohamed Salah nicking a goal against them via a penalty. It’s the club’s best start defensively since 2010.
The chances of a 0-0 draw seem high here, but the two haven’t split the points in the league since 2015. Chelsea have won five meetings since then and City have picked up seven victories.
The defending champions had a horrible run in the matchup at the end of last season, but they did win easily at Stamford Bridge in January and it’s given the team a chance to record back-to-back away wins against Chelsea for the first time since 1955.
Man City’s chances would be greatly boosted by a fit Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian playmaker has logged only 36 minutes of league action this season. He’s scored in three straight league games against Chelsea.
