Enzo Maresca was hired to replace Mauricio Pochettino, and the Blues have struggled throughout the preseason, highlighted by a 4-2 loss to Manchester City earlier this month.
There were over 2.5 total goals in 71% of Chelsea’s league matches last season.
Chelsea kept one clean sheet in the preseason.
Manchester City scored a league-high 96 goals in 2023-24.
Odds courtesy of BetKing. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Unproven Defence Leaves Blues At Risk
Manchester City blew Chelsea away in their friendly a couple of weeks ago. City, who scored 96 goals last season, are at almost full strength, with Rodri and Jack Grealish being the only injury concerns in the first team.
With Enzo Maresca stepping into the hot seat at Stamford Bridge, the Blues have had an eventful summer. Thiago Silva has departed, leaving an inexperienced defence. Investment has been made in the back line, but there is a reliance on unproven prospects. While only so much can be read into preseason, it’s worth noting that Club America are the only team to fail to score against Chelsea. The Blues conceded four to Celtic and two to Wrexham.
The signing of another goalkeeper in Filip Jørgensen raised some eyebrows. It’s unclear who will be starting in central defence, and there’s a lot of pressure on Moises Caicedo after a disappointing first season with the club. Reece James is suspended for this match, too. While Maresca has plenty of options defensively, none of them exactly standout.
City might have sold Julian Alvarez, but Pep Guardiola is still blessed with the most talented attack in world football. Erling Haaland should be refreshed after a summer off, which is a fearsome prospect for the rest of the Premier League.
Goals at the Bridge
This Chelsea team is a long way from challenging for the Premier League title, and very little of what we’ve seen in preseason suggests Maresca is going to be able to deliver a quick fix. The club is once again trying to embed a new identity, which is bound to lead to some growing pains in the coming weeks.
The hosts are in for a difficult opening to the season. City will be raring to go. Chelsea, meanwhile, do not seem ready for the first match of the campaign. We fancy a few goals at Stamford Bridge, with City potentially having this wrapped up by half-time.
Of the top-half teams, only West Ham conceded more goals than Chelsea in 2023-24. City amassed just under 40 expected goals on the road last season, which was miles ahead of anyone else. We feel very comfortable taking over 3.5 goals in this one, with a decent chance City hit the over single-handedly.