How will the Blues perform after Maresca’s dismissal?
Neither a successful debut season nor a recent Manager of the Month award for November could save Enzo Maresca from being sacked on New Year’s Day. Former assistant coach Willy Caballero will take his place on the bench for the Manchester City vs. Chelsea tip.
Since the club was bought in May 2022, six different coaches have already been employed. None of them were more successful than Maresca. The Italian won both the Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup. He now only has an indirect influence on the Manchester City vs. Chelsea prediction.
The Blues have won only one of their last seven Premier League games (4D, 2L). The Stamford Bridge team picked up seven points during this period. However, the gap to Arsenal also increased by seven points.
The Citizens have performed very differently in recent weeks. Pep Guardiola and his team ended the 2025 calendar year with eight consecutive wins. At the start of the new year, they managed a 0-0 draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Lights.
The timing of the coaching change is extremely unfortunate for Enzo Maresca’s soon-to-be successor. The visitors have to play twice a week until February 10, leaving no time to rehearse routines in extended training sessions for the time being.
A rapid change in identity is not to be expected. The fifth-placed team can pose a great threat up front (32 goals scored – fourth-best in the league), but is always vulnerable at the back (0.14 xGA/shot – highest in the English top flight). We therefore recommend a Manchester City vs. Chelsea odds of 2.62 and are betting on “Manchester City Over 2.5 Goals” at Bet365.
Manchester City – Chelsea Head-to-Head Record
Although the Skyblues rarely reached their usual level of performance last season, they won both direct duels against the team from Stamford Bridge (2-0, 3-1). This extended Guardiola’s team’s unbeaten run against Chelsea to eight consecutive Premier League duels (6W, 2D).
Even if the visitors take the lead at the Etihad Stadium, a win is unlikely. Chelsea have already dropped 15 points from winning positions this season – as many as they did in the entire previous season.
Manchester City – Chelsea Tip
Manchester City are playing with a little more freedom this season. Pep Guardiola is giving his players more space for individual creativity. New signing Rayan Cherki in particular regularly repays the faith shown in him with moments that amaze the crowd and his coach.
Manchester City has the most successful offense of the current season (43 goals) and has also scored the most expected goals (36.7 xG). The home side owes this not only to their high volume of shots, but also to their consistently high-quality chances (0.13 xG/shot).
The hosts are unlikely to score many more in their home game against the struggling Blues. The Sky Blues have scored 2.3 goals per match day. Chelsea, on the other hand, have already conceded 27.4 expected goals (13th) and are in transition following the dismissal of Enzo Maresca. Compared to their previous season, the visitors are five points worse off and their expected points put them in eighth place in the table. Currently, the London club is only mediocre in the English top flight.
