Manchester City v Chelsea: All Square Between the Big Spenders?
Big Phil Scolari takes his unbeaten Chelsea side to Eastlands this weekend to face the team that is expected to take their crown as the biggest spenders in English football. The optimism surrounding the Blue side of Manchester is sky high with £32.5m man Robinho expected to make his debut against the team he was expected to be signing for on deadline day. However, on the pitch it’s the away side that has been by far the most dominant force in these encounters.
After all, City have failed to score a League goal against the men from Stamford Bridge in the last 7 League encounters. In fact, their last goal came back in October 2004 when Nicolas Anelka scored from the penalty spot and Shaun Wright-Phillips was in the City side. The Citizens went on to win the match 1-0 which was Jose Mourinho’s first defeat as Chelsea manager and his only League defeat of 2004/05. City have actually therefore only scored 1 goal in the last 12 League encounters with their Stamford Bridge counterparts and gone a total of 709 minutes without breaching their goal.
One bonus for City is that Didier Drogba looks unlikely to start the game after playing an hour in the reserves this week. However, his record of 5 goals in 5 League matches against Manchester City suggests he may well be included in the squad though his compatriot Salomon Kalou has also scored 2 goals in his 2 matches against them. The home side also have an appalling record of 9 defeats and just 1 win in their last 11 home League games against Chelsea. In fact, the Citizens have a poor record against the big 3 London clubs in general. Their record against Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs in the Premier League reads just 6 wins from 66 games. This record extends to their home form of 4 wins from 33 games (25 defeats). So it’s hard to expect them to change their record instantaneously.
It may be wise to cover your options on Premier 10 and Footy 15 this week with £40,000 and £200,000 to win respectively. So I’d suggest backing the draw and an away win which would only cost a further £1 on top of your initial £1 stake. However, if I had to pick one I would back the City revolution to start with a point as a full house at Eastlands stops the home side’s losing streak against the Blues.
Pundit’s Pick: Robinho to Debut with a Draw (DRAW)
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Tags: Chelsea, footy 15, Manchester City, Premier 10, Premier League
