Our prediction for this Premier League match:
Chelsea
Match Time & Date:
18/08/2024
11:30 AM
Prediction: 2-2
Man City
Sparkles will be flying when Chelsea and Manchester City go head to head at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League derby. The Blues now have 44 players in their first-team squad, but the lack of top-class footballers should prove to be a big problem for Enzo Maresca’s team in the upcoming season. Romelu Lukaku is back to Stamford Bridge, but a man to watch in the home team will be Cole Palmer, who played an important role in the England national team at EURO 2024. Right-back Reece James is banned for the match.
The Citizens, on the other hand, defeated Manchester United on penalties in the Community Shield and they are now on a quest to make a flying start to the new Premier League campaign. Julian Alvarez is no longer part of the team after signing a €75.00m deal with Atletico Madrid. New signing Savinho is widely expected to make his Man City debut against Chelsea. As the two teams played out a thrilling 4-4 draw in their last meeting in London, we are tempted to bet on over 2.5 goals.
Highlighted Player (Nathan Ake):
Ake is a professional footballer who plays for the Dutch National Team and AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The versatile defender who was born on the 18th of February, 1995, started his youth career in 2003 with local club ADO Den Haag. He then moved to Feyenoord in 2007 before joining Chelsea's youth academy four years later.
Ake made his first professional appearance at the age of 17, playing for the Blues in a 0-1 away victory against Norwich on the 26th of December, 2012. Barring a few starts and substitute appearances, Ake spent his next few years at Chelsea mostly in the reserves before being sent out on a one month loan to Reading in 2015. Upon his return, he immediately joined Watford on a season-long loan where his displays earned him the Watford's young player of the season award. Another successful loan spell at Bournemouth succeeded his time at Watford before Chelsea recalled him in January 2017.
At the start of the 17/18 season, the 24-year-old rejoined his current club Bournemouth permanently on a five-year contract worth 20 million pounds. On the International stage, Ake has represented the Netherlands at every youth level and has even captained the under-17 and under-19 sides. He made his first senior appearance on the 31st of May, 2017, featuring in Hollands 2-1 friendly win over Morocco.
Highlighted Team (Chelsea):
Over the years Chelsea have established themselves as one of the dominant forces in the English Premier League. Roberto Di Matteo helped the team win their first ever Champions League trophy (2011/2012), but it has to be noted that they were more than fortunate to beat Bayern Munich in the title game.
Chelsea have been playing at Stamford Bridge since 1876 and they are a real force to be reckoned with at home. The Blues have won seven FA Cups, five League Cups, two UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups and the UEFA Europa League. Rafael Benitez was in charge of the team that faced Benfica in the 2012/2013 Europa League final, with Branislav Ivanovic scoring the winner for the Blues in the title clash.
After lifting the 2014/2015 Premier League trophy, the Blues largely struggled in the next campaign, which saw Jose Mourinho’s second spell with the club come to an end, and Antoine Conte went over to take the reigns for the 2016/2017 season.
Arsenal
Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa
Crystal Palace 
Milan 
Juventus 
Tottenham
Celta Vigo 
Barcelona 
Southampton
Liverpool
