Manchester City vs Chelsea Predictions

This will be Chelsea’s first game after parting ways with Maresca. Pep will leave no stone unturned to make the most of his home advantage and clinch a big win

Match info: Premier League

Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026

Time: 6:30 pm Nigerian time

What was already a daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium for Chelsea became even more challenging after Enzo Maresca’s dismissal, making Manchester City the clear favourites for Sunday’s Premier League round 20 fixture.

The Blues have not defeated Pep Guardiola’s men since the 2021 Champions League final, an 11-match run which City are favourites to extend against the managerless visitors.

Head-to-head:

• Manchester City have won 20 of the 56 Premier League meetings between the two teams.
• Chelsea recorded 27 victories.
• The remaining nine clashes ended in draws.
• Sergio Aguero is the leading goalscorer in this fixture.
• Manchester City have won three back-to-back games against Chelsea.
• Chelsea last won against the Cityzens in the UCL Finals 2021
• Seven of their last 10 encounters produced at least two goals.

Form:

• Manchester City in the league: W-W-W-W-D
• Manchester City in all competitions: W-W-W-W-D
• Chelsea in the league: D-W-D-L-D
• Chelsea in all competitions: W-W-D-L-D

Team News:

• Due to AFCON, City will miss Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri. Other absentees are John Stones and Oscar Bobb.
• Chelsea are unaffected by AFCON. Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill and Romeo Lavia remain injured.

Player(s) to watch:

• Nathan Ake has plied his trade with Chelsea, Watford and Bournemouth before making a move to Etihad Stadium with Man City. He will play a crucial role in helping City clinch a clean sheet against the Blues. He has so far played 9 games for City this term.
• Trevoh Chalobah is one of the tallest players in Chelsea, who grew up in Sierra Leone. He has so far played as a loanee at different clubs like Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace previously. In 18 games, he has scored three goals and will be looking forward to making an impact in the next game.