Chelsea v Man City Betting – Battle of the Bridge grabs headlines

All eyes will be on John Terry and Wayne Bridge in the Chelsea v Man City betting fiesta, for Saturday’s early kick off at Stamford Bridge. Enough has been said about them in the media, but now they come together for the first time since all of the revelations broke. There have been questions over the focus of John Terry at the back since all the of the media coverage, with fingers being pointed at him for some of Chelsea’s conceded goals since then. Boss Carlo Ancelotti insists that Terry’s attention is not in doubt, despite the fact that the duo have refused mediation by the PFA. Still, there will be floods of punters making the most of online betting for this one, as it dominates the league matches.

Chelsea failed to get the better of ex-manager Jose Mourinho on Wednesday when they travelled to the San Siro to take on Inter Milan. The organised Inter defence highlighted Chelsea’s lack of creativity on the night, and Ancelotti oddly stuck to a 4-3-3 formation which wasn’t helping at all. This could be important tidbits of information to plan your betting strategies for Saturday. Malouda at left back, filling in for Ashley Cole looked a liability, and with Petr Cech picking up and injury that will keep him out of action for a month, this are things which can sway betting. Staying on the injury front, Chelsea are still without Essien and Deco in the midfield.

Still, their attention turns back to premier league and veteran keeper Hilario will take over the mantle of number one goalie for a while, with only England under-20 international Ross Turnbull as backup availability. Despite dominating possession, Chelsea couldn’t break down an organised and stubborn defence. This is the approach that Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini would be wise in adopting against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where the London side have only dropped two points all season. They saw their lead at the top of the Premier League cut back to one point, as Manchester United picked up a comfortable win over West Ham midweek. Chelsea still hold a game in hand over their rivals though, which will even out this weekend, as United are in the Carling Cup final on Sunday.

Manchester City are going through a rough time at the moment, only winning two of their last eight games. Roberto Mancini must be feeling the pressure, as they have looked dour and without confidence, largely sparked by the absense of Argentinean genius Carlos Tevez. Tevez was given leave to return to his home country after the premature birth of his daughter. He has returned and should be available for selection on Saturday, which is quite timely as fellow striker Emmanuel Adebayor picked up a red card in City’s FA Cup replay exit to Stoke in midweek, which means that he will miss the match.

Mancini is under pressure already in his new job, and Manchester City need to get going again. They are still firmly in the hunt for a top four finish in the Premier League, but only if they can find some consistency and start winning games again. Two lacklustre drawn games in a row and a defeat in the FA Cup, isn’t a sign of the true direction that the Eastlands hierarchy want the club to be going in. The FA Cup was seen as their best chance for silverware after spending big in the summer, but they seem to be stuck in the mud a little bit. There is a lot riding on this game, purely from a football perspective. Chelsea need a good win to send them four points clear at the top of the league, while City could be hurting if they drop more points.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
Man City 2, Chelsea 1
Chelsea 1, Man City 0
Man City 1, Chelsea 3
Man City 0, Chelsea 2
Chelsea 6, Man City 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Chelsea: 8 For, 4 Against
Man City: 6 For, 3 Against

Last 10 Form
Chelsea: W6, D3, L1
Man City: W6, D2, L2

Win Percentage:
Chelsea have a 92.3 win percentage at home
Man City have a 23.1 win percentage away from home

Match Prices:
Chelsea to win: 5/11 at Expekt
Draw: 7/2 at Bet365
Man City to win: 15/2 at Bet365

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: City caused Chelsea headaches at Eastlands back in December, when they won 2-1. While Chelsea still look a little uneasy on the road, things are a different matter at Stamford Bridge, where the fans expect nothing less than three points. City, who are the draw specialists, could drag the game down into something of a stalemate as they try desperately not to lose. Chelsea should be the stronger team, as they do have quality and class. Crucial injuries will hurt them at the moment, but the scales should still be tipped slightly in their favour.
Chelsea -1 Asian Handicap: 4/5 at Stan James