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Chelsea face Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday, August 18, 2024 as the new season kicks off.
Ahead of the game, Paul Merson has shared his prediction on the Blues vs City.
“This is a massive football match. Chelsea are playing against their benchmark in the Premier League, and this is a good time to play against Manchester City. You’d want to play against them at the start of the season, before all their players are at their best,” Merson said.
“Chelsea haven’t had the best of preseason, and their manager will need to find his best team quickly. With 20 games gone last season, Pochettino hadn’t found his best team, and that was his downfall. Chelsea have a problem of plenty – they’ll need to find their best eleven and hope that players like Palmer and James stay fit this season.
“Manchester City had to take the money for Julian Alvarez, but it could come back to bite them. Alvarez did his job quietly and was a very good squad player. Jack Grealish always plays big games for Guardiola, and he’ll need to play his part this season. City also need to keep Haaland fit – they could get 30 goals from him this season.
“This is a good time to play Man City, and this was a brilliant game last season. Chelsea could hold City to a draw this weekend.”
Merson’s score prediction for the game is 1-1.