Man City vs Chelsea Odds and Preview

Manchester City vs Chelsea Location: Stamford Bridge, London, England Kick-Off: Saturday, February 27, 7:45 AM ET Man City Man City’s online betting odds are taking a bit of a hit due to some poor play as of late. Man city had draws in three straight matches before losing 3-1 in extra time at Stoke City in the FA Cup (ironically, Man City and Stoke are tied for the most draws in the Premiership with 10) on Wednesday. The Man City defense ran out of gas in extra time, allowing two of the goals then, and an 83rd minute red card for Emmanuel Adebayor didn’t help matters at all. However, Man City should have Carlos Tevez back in the starting 11 after the premature birth of his daughter in Argentina. Chelsea Chelsea is coming off a disappointing 2-1 loss at Inter Milan, but they played well in the hostile San Siro. More alarmingly, Petr Cech had to leave the game on a stretcher after hurting his knee in an innocent play, and there was no one even around him at the time. Henrique Hilario had to step in, but Chelsea is obviously a better team with Cech between the sticks, as he gives his defenders more confidence. Still, Chelsea can hold their heads high after their showing in Italy, and they grabbed an away goal to take to the second leg. Outlook and Pick Chelsea is a -200 favorite at home according to sportsbook odds, while Man City comes in at +700, and a draw is listed at +348. Chelsea has won eight and drawn one of their last 10 meetings against Man City, but the lone loss came back in December, when Shay Given stopped a Frank Lampard penalty late in a 2-1 win for Man City at home. It’s good that Man City will have Tevez back for this match because he hit an excellent free kick in the match, and he’s also needed because Craig Bellamy and Roque Santa Cruz are both battling knee injuries that they had to play through during the FA Cup match at Stoke. Chelsea, meanwhile, will be upset that they lost in Italy in a game they could have won against their former manager, Jose Mourinho, and they’re also unstoppable at Stamford Bridge, where they’ve racked up 12 wins and a draw in their 13 home matches, outscoring the opposition 39-8. Factor in a roughed-up Man City defense, and it could be a long, long night in London for Man City, who could do neighbors Manchester United a favor with an unlikely win: United is one point behind Chelsea in the league. Sports wagering pick: Chelsea -200