Chelsea vs Manchester City Betting Tips

Man City have managed to beat Chelsea in just one of the last fourteen encounters between the two sides, and it's hard to envisage Stuart Pearce's charges improving on that when they go into the lion's den that is Stamford Bridge to face the mighty Blues on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea's start to the season has been somewhat inauspicious, failing to beat Celtic in a pre-season friendly and then suffering a reverse at the hands of Liverpool in the Community Shield last weekend. Is this a sign that, despite the addition of more world class players to the squad, Mourinho's men have lost their air of invincibility? Well, it's probably unwise to read too much into the aforementioned matches, and one thing we have learnt about Chelsea is that they possess the collective mental fortitude to bounce back after they've received a knock. As such, despite the fact that the Citizens will not be afraid of their illustrious rivals, and will give it a dam good shot, one suspects that Chelsea's class will overwhelm City. Despite being beaten in Cardiff last Sunday, there were positives to draw form Chelsea's performance, not least the impact of one of their two major summer signings, Andriy Shevchenko. The former AC Milan demonstrated his clinical finishing ability with a peach of a goal to cancel out John Arne Riise's opener at the Millennium Stadium. This type of deadly finishing is what the south west London side have lacked over the past couple of seasons for although Hernan Crespo is a top-class striker, he was never really settled in London. Scheva looks set to give them that consistency that Crespo couldn't. And we all know that, despite his presence and sheer strength, Didier Drogba hasn't shone as initially expected. Other positives for Chelsea include Frank Lampard and John Terry's solid efforts for England in midweek. The former was below par at the World Cup and there were concerns as to whether he might be feeling the effects of his intensive exertions over the past couple of seasons. But his display against Greece suggested that the influential midfielder is set for another good campaign. Man City possess plenty of pace and attacking flair within their ranks. The addition of Italian forward Bernado Corradi will add to their goalscoring capability, while the £4million purchase of Dietmar Hamann from Liverpool has the look of a cracking signing, as the German midfielder will bring valuable experience to the centre of the park. However, this match is likely to see Chelsea showcase their many talents, while Man City will probably start brightly, but this could end up being a damage limitation exercise for them, given that the home side will no doubt be extremely determined to lay down their marker for the season ahead. With this in mind, I reckon that we could be in for plenty of goal-mouth action in the first half, therefore the value may lie in backing first half in the half with most goals betting market, about which Stan James go 9/4. Man City invariably start their matches at a relatively high tempo and this is something which will suit Chelsea, as they'll be able to exploit the visitors' defensive frailties on the counter-attack. A first half goal feast perhaps. Verdict - 2pts first half in the half with most goals betting @ 9/4 (Stan James)