After getting off to a rip roaring start this season, Chelsea FC have now hit a dry spell. On November 24, Chelsea suffered their first loss in any competition of 2018-19 with a 3-1 Premier League loss to Tottenham Hotspur. They had been undefeated from the Community Shield up until that point.
Now they have lost their last two league games as they head into what might be the toughest test of the season. Additionally, the Blues have only won two of their last five across all competitions. The key to the scorching start, and then the subsequent drop-off might be Eden Hazard. After racking up seven league goals by October 7, he hasn’t scored since.
He is now goalless in his last 11 for club and country. Getting him going again could be the way to a resurgence.
The Bank Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction vs Fulham FC (4-3-3)
Forwards: Eden Hazard, Olivier Giroud, Pedro
Midfielders: Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante
Defenders: Marcos Alonso, David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga
Chelsea vs Manchester City FYIs
Injury Report: go to this link
Kickoff, TV: Saturday December 8, 5:30 pm local, 12:30pm EST, Stamford Bridge, BT Sport 1, NBC Sports
Win probability according to Google: City 48%, Chelsea 25%, Draw probability is estimated at 27%.
Odds according to Odds Shark: City are favored to win, backed at 10/11. Chelsea are backed at 3/1 while odds for a draw are 13/5
City Starting XI Prediction: coming shortly
Press conference video, quotes: coming Friday
Prediction: City 4, Chelsea 2
Feel free to post your own Chelsea and/or Man City starting XI predictions, as well as your best guess as to what the final score will be. Enjoy the match everybody!
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Lineups.com and Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.