Chelsea vs Manchester City delivered the best football in the 2023/24 Premier League season, which was surprising for followers of the Premier League.
BlueCo, the group that owns Chelsea, have made their ambitions clear: they want to make Chelsea the biggest talent bank in the world for both financial and sporting success. This led to ex-boss Mauricio Pochettino having to face squad selection issues last season which led to him struggling in the league. Half the team also spent significant time on the sidelines with various injuries, which also affected the Blues in the first half of the season.
Yet, they were able to famously hold City to two draws, with one of them being a 4-4 thriller that was dubbed the best match of the 2023/24 season.
Pep Guardiola will be glad that Pochettino is gone but now, he will have to face his former protégé Enzo Maresca, who led Leicester City to the EFL Championship title and immediately jumped ship to take on the Chelsea challenge.
It is a title-winning coach versus a title-winning coach for the official Premier League 2024/25 season opener. Keep reading for match ticket information, previews, team news and predictions.
Ticket information
Chelsea vs Manchester City match tickets are already on sale on the websites of both clubs. Priority access to them will be given to registered fans of both clubs, which leaves visiting fans and football tourists who want to witness a mentor-mentee battle with only one option that will not cost the time: purchasing their tickets from a trusted ticket reselling platform.
The tickets are available on seatsnet.com where fans go to sell their tickets for fair prices and organisations go to sell excess tickets to cut their losses. A search for Chelsea vs Manchester City tickets should turn up multiple ticket options for fans who want to buy.
It is important to note that Premier League tickets also sell fast on these platforms.
The game will be played on Sunday 18 August 2024 at 4:30 PM UK time. It will be broadcast live for fans at home.
Team news
At the time of writing, Manchester City have only added Brazilian forward Sávio Moreira de Oliveira, known mononymously as Savinho or Sávio. The forward shone for fellow City Football Group side Girona in Spain last season after joining them from another CFG-owned club Troyes. This is the only signing that they have been in the news for this season and there are barely any rumours linking them to anybody else.
Yan Couto and Claudio Echeverri have also linked up with the City’s first team finally after joining the club last season and getting sent on loan immediately. They are both exciting youngsters that will add youth and quality to Guardiola’s ageing side. Meanwhile, there’s talk of Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne moving to Saudi Arabia after completing the challenge of English football. Nothing concrete is in those reports, so the rest of the Premier League will surely prepare for a City with at least one more season of these two veterans.
On the other hand, Chelsea has brought in several exciting young signings in addition to the team they already have: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Omari Kellyman, Renato Veiga, Marc Guiu and Tosin Adarabioyo. They are also in talks for Andreas Pereira, the former Manchester United midfielder who was excellent with Fulham last season while planning for the exit of at least seven players including Conor Gallagher and Trevor Chalobah.
However, fans have come to understand that under BlueCo, the club may not yet be done and Maresca could have a whole new XI by the time City comes knocking.
Chelsea predicted XI: Sanchez; Cucurella, Badiashile, Disasi, James; Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo, Fernadez; Mudryk, Jackson, Palmer.
Manchester City predicted XI: Ortega; Gvardiol, Akanji, Dias, Walker; De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva; Doku, Haaland, Foden.
Match preview
It is not quite champion vs champion, but it is the next best thing. In the case of the managers involved, it may even be the better thing.
Enzo Maresca cut his managerial teeth under Guardiola, serving with the Spaniard in two different regimes at Manchester City before getting the Leicester City job. That experience helped him dominate English football’s second tier and he was able to lead them back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, while claiming the first title of his young managerial career.
He surely knows how Guardiola thinks, which means the match will be a battle of managers with a similar tactical mindset. Fans may be looking at a repeat of Manchester City vs Arsenal from last season, where Guardiola had to adopt different tactics to deal with the tactics of another of his protégés, Mikel Arteta.
Guardiola will also be wary of Chelsea’s opening day record in the league. Of their last 32 opening-day matches, they have won 20 and drawn seven. A meagre record of five losses will not be enough to worry the Blues even if their opponent is defending champions Manchester City. Their record against Manchester City, however, is what will worry them. Guardiola has prevented Chelsea from winning in nine meetings, with their last loss to Chelsea being in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final.
A much-changed Chelsea side will know how to prepare for Manchester City ahead of their visit to Stamford Bridge. This could change, however, if the Cityzens have a last-minute transfer market rush.
Prediction
Tickets are selling fast for this clash in the capital that pits two managers who could start a new rivalry in the top flight of English football. Hurry over to the clubs’ websites or to seatsnet.com to claim your matchday tickets now.
As for what will happen in the game, one thing we are sure of is that the game will be a fast one because both teams have a reputation. Enzo Maresca’s physical style with elements of possession football will meet up with Guardiola’s more elegant and malleable style and chaos will ensue.
Chelsea 1 – 2 Manchester City
