Prediction: Chelsea vs Manchester City

Verdict: Manchester City win

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Unibet

With a spot in the final of this year’s FA Cup up for grabs on Saturday evening, Chelsea and Manchester City will face off at Wembley this weekend.

Chelsea

Starting with the temporary hosts, while Chelsea might have suffered that late 1-0 defeat against Porto out in Spain earlier in the week, the former Premier League champions did extend on their European adventure. Eventually securing a 2-1 aggregate victory against the Portuguese giants, The Blues are still in contention to complete a silverware double this season. Desperate to prove that their Champions League loss in midweek was just another minor blip, Thomas Tuchel’s new squad had appeared to have bounced back from that stunning defeat at Stamford Bridge when returning from the international break. While the former PSG boss might have seen his squad get hit with that shock 5-2 drumming against West Brom on April 4th, Chelsea have lost just a single domestic contest since Tuchel took charge back in January. However, although The Blues might be looking to upset City’s party this weekend, it should be noted that they were hit with a 3-1 drumming when they faced off against Pep Guardiola’s side at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season.

Team News

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic will miss out at Wembley this weekend due to a hamstring injury.

However, aside from missing the Croatian international on Saturday evening, Thomas Tuchel does have a full squad to choose from at Wembley.

Manchester City

As for the visitors, despite falling 1-0 down away at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night, Manchester City also managed to extend on their Champions League adventure. Grabbing a 2-1 win in rural Germany and eventually claiming a deserved 4-2 aggregate victory, The Sky Blues have what would be a famous quadruple-winning campaign at the top of their agenda. Appearing to cruise towards the Premier League title, there is no doubt that Pep Guardiola’s side will still be looking to put last weekend’s dramatic defeat fully behind them. Watching a 10-man Leeds snatch a last-gasp winner at The Etihad, the former Bayern Munich boss has seen his side continue to impress on their travels. With England ace Phil Foden once again adding to his tally while on European duties in midweek, Manchester City have remarkably won each of their previous 16 straight away fixtures across all formats, a run that stems all the way back to the middle of December.

Team News

Pep Guardiola has admitted that he expects to be without Sergio Aguero this weekend due to a slight muscle issue.

However, in a boost for The Sky Blues, defender Aymeric Laporte is available after recovering from a hip injury that kept him out of the weekend’s defeat to Leeds.

Key Factors to Consider

• When the two sides faced off at Stamford Bridge back in January, Manchester City picked up a 3-1 win against Frank Lampard’s Chelsea.
• The Sky Blues have won each of their last 16 straight away fixtures across all formats, a run that stems all the way back to the middle of December.
• Pep Guardiola’s side have also scored over 1.5 goals in 14 of those 16 fixtures away from The Etihad.
• Chelsea have lost just a single domestic matchup since Thomas Tuchel took charge in West London back in January.
• Seven of Chelsea’s last eight matchups away from Stamford Bridge have seen under 2.5 goals by the final whistle.

Conclusion

Managing to come from 1-0 down out in Germany earlier in the week, Manchester City will be desperate to extend on their quadruple adventure in the capital this weekend. Hoping to fully prove that their dramatic 2-1 defeat against Leeds was just a minor blip, The Sky Blues will be desperate to lay down a marker. Although Chelsea might have made some real domestic improvements since bringing in Thomas Tuchel back in January, the top-four contenders could face a stern test at Wembley. Despite managing to book a semi-final showdown against Real Madrid in this year’s Champions League, the West London outfit were hit with a shock 1-0 defeat against Porto in their second-leg meeting. Up against a City side who have only continued on a remarkable winning run on their travels, we’re backing victory for Pep Guardiola’s side on Saturday evening.

Verdict: Manchester City win

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Unibet