- The Manchester City vs Chelsea game will kick off on Saturday at 1915EAT.
- The match will be played at Wembley Stadium.
- The winner will face Manchester United or Coventry in the final
Manchester City and Chelsea are set to lock horns in a mouthwatering FA Cup semifinal clash on Saturday evening.
The hosts will be seeking to bounce back from last Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League heartbreak where they were bundled out of the prestigious tournament by Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Manchester City came from behind to force a 4-4 aggregate draw with the Los Blancos before narrowly losing 4 -3 on penalty shoot-outs in the end-to-end encounter staged at the Etihad Stadium.
Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva and his Croatian counterpart Mateo Kovacic missed their spot kicks with former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger scoring the decisive penalty to silence the Citizens.
Although their dream of winning back-to-back treble is gone, Manchester City are still the favorites to win both the Premier League and FA Cup titles.
However, for them to achieve that incredible feat, they will have to overcome an unpredictable Chelsea side that has been blowing hot and cold since the beginning of the season.
CLICK HERE TO BET ON THIS GAME ON SPORTPESA
Chelsea go into Saturday’s match on the back of a huge 6-0 Premier League win over a struggling Everton last weekend.
Mercurial forward Cole Palmer netted four goals for the Mauricio Pochettino charges in that one-sided encounter with Nicolas Jackson and Alfie Gilchrist also finding themselves on the score sheet.
Should the Blues stun Manchester City, they will meet either Manchester United or Championship side Coventry City in the final which is slated for May 25 at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
Here are the key details you need to understand ahead of Saturday’s crunch tie. Click this link to place your bet on the game and remember you can get up to 1000% SportPesa bonus on your multi bet of up to 50 games.
What time does Manchester City vs Chelsea start?
The match is expected to start at 7:15 PM Kenyan time at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City vs Chelsea Team News
The visitors will be without several members of their first team including Reece James and Wesley Fofana due to injuries.
Lesley Ugochukwu, Levi Colwill and Romeo are the other players, who are guaranteed to miss the vital match.
In addition, Pochettino is also expected to miss the services of Christopher Nkunku, who is on the verge of making a return from a hamstring injury while the trio of Enzo Fernandez (unspecified), Raheem Sterling (sickness) and Robert Sanchez (sickness) will have to be assessed before kickoff.
CLICK HERE TO BET ON THIS GAME ON SPORTPESA
On the other hand, Guardiola is likely to make a number of changes to his starting lineup that played against Real Madrid several days ago.
Nathan Ake, John Stones and Stefan Ortega are all expected to start against Chelsea while a cloud of doubt hangs over Manuel Akanji and Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland who were substituted during the mid-week game.
Possible Starting Lineups
Manchester City: Ortega, Ake, Stones, Dias, Walker, Rodri, Silva, De Bruyne, Grealish, Alvarez, Haaland
Chelsea: Petrovic, Chilwell, Disasi, Silva, Gusto, Caicedo, Enzo, Gallagher, Palmer, Sterling, Jackson
Manchester City vs Chelsea Head-to-head
Chelsea and Manchester City have squared it out 19 times in all competitions since 2018 with the latter securing 11 wins. Three of those matches ended in a draw.
Moreover, in the recent five encounters pitting the two clubs, Manchester City has triumphed on three occasions while Chelsea has failed to register a win.
Manchester City: 11
Draws: 3
Chelsea: 5
Manchester City vs Chelsea Current Form
Manchester City: WWDWD
Chelsea: WDWDW
Manchester City vs Chelsea Prediction
Manchester City are favorites to win this match because of the home advantage and the fact that they have more experienced players than Chelsea.
However, Chelsea can beat any team on a good day hence they should not be completely ruled out. Therefore, football fans should get ready for an entertaining clash that may have a couple of goals.
ALSO READ: SportPesa Mega Jackpot reaches highest-ever 360 million mark
Quick facts on Manchester City vs Chelsea
Is Man City better than Chelsea?
The Citizens won five of the previous eight meetings, most recently in the third round last season.
The Blues, who have won this competition on eight occasions, are looking to reach the final for the sixth time in eight years. The clubs last met in the semifinals in 2020-21, with Chelsea posting a 1-0 victory.
Who knocked Man City out of UCL?
Real Madrid. The Spanish giants weathered the storm, silenced the crowd and ultimately ended Manchester City’s brief hold on the Champions League.
The all-time kings of Europe moved a step closer to a record-extending 15th title in the competition they have dominated after a 4-3 win Wednesday on penalties at Etihad Stadium.
ALSO READ: SportPesa launch revolutionary Tujiamini Initiative to nurture talent
Tujiamini is an initiative that seeks to provide a platform, including up to 30M shillings in funding, for individual, team sports and various talent, in a year-long campaign that will go around the country in a move aimed at evoking the sense of pride in Kenya’s sports and talent ecosystem.
Applicants are urged to submit their applications through www.tujiamini.co.ke