Chelsea entered its 29th match of the season against Crystal Palace knowing that seven wins in its last nine affairs would wrap up the Premier League title. The Blues just couldn't seem to find the finishing touch and ended up suffering their second loss at home this season. It's not the end of the world yet, but if the Blues happen to lose again versus Manchester City on Wednesday, it'll be game on in the EPL once again for sure.
Don't miss the Barclays Premier League action from Stamford Bridge at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on NBC Sports Network.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Chelsea +140
Manchester City +190
Draw +235
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
Chelsea had won 13 straight matches at home before losing to Crystal Palace, so it's almost a bit alarming that the Citizens are set at just +190 to win this match outright. The Blues are +140 and aren't odds-on favorites in a rare occurrence. That said, it's worth remembering that Manchester City has 10 wins on the road, the same number this year as the league leaders, so going on the road and picking up a victory, even at Stamford Bridge, might not be out of the question.
The total is set at a flat 2.5.
Key Injuries
Fortunately for both of these teams, the injury bug hasn't bitten all that hard. Bacary Sagna missed the match against Arsenal with an undisclosed injury, and whether he's going to be back in time for this fixture against Chelsea is up in the air. Gabriel Jesus and Ilkay Gundogan are both long-term absentees for the Citizens.
Chelsea didn't have Victor Moses against Crystal Palace thanks to an injury he picked up while playing for Nigeria. The one good thing we've learned about Chelsea is that its Starting XI is fantastic. Its depth? Maybe not as much. This also looked like a relatively tired team on the pitch at times against CP, and the fact that injuries haven't played a role might tell a tale of a team that is just flat out exhausted from a lack of rest.
Recent Form
City was given a bit of an opening to come back in the Premier League race, but it's left too many points on the table in recent matches. The Citizens blew not just one, but two leads against Arsenal, and that came on the heels of a 1-1 draw against Liverpool. Pep Guardiola's side has only won one of its last four in the EPL, though it also had that embarrassing loss in the Champions League against Monaco on French soil that saw it out of that competition.
It's really hard to complain with everything Chelsea has done this season. Antonio Conte has warned time and time again of potential complacency, and it would be easy to say that the Blues got complacent against Crystal Palace. That said, the club produced dozens of goal scoring opportunities and just never found a way to put the equalizing goal in the back of the net after going up 1-0 and falling behind 2-1 in short order thereafter. Chelsea was good enough for at least one, and probably all three points that day, and it'll be interesting to see if the team gets back on track here against a much tougher foe.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
The walls will start feeling like they're closing in on Chelsea in a hurry if this match doesn't result in three points. In one sense, this is the most crucial fixture of the season.
Perhaps Manchester City will be a better squad in the future, but this recent form has us wondering if it can really snare points against the best team in the league, especially after losing 3-1 at home to the Blues in December.
That said, we really wonder if Chelsea is going to find itself in a bit of trouble. The Blues should be on the front foot and should be able to at least get one home, but if City finds a way to equalize, will the hosts find themselves in a similar situation as they were against Crystal Palace? The margin might be set to get a wee bit tighter.
Barclays Premier League Odds: Chelsea 1, Manchester City 1
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