Manchester City will be looking to return to winning ways when they host managerless Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday, 4 January. The Citizens lost ground on Arsenal in the title race after being held to a goalless draw by Sunderland. Chelsea, on the other hand, kicked off the New Year by losing Enzo Maresca ahead of a ridiculously busy January schedule. Here, we take a closer look at Sunday’s Premier League main event.
Man City vs Chelsea Bet Builder Tips
While most normal people spent New Year's Day eating leftover food and nursing an agonising hangover, Maresca was busy clearing out his office at Stamford Bridge. City will now be looking to take full advantage of the circumstances as they look to pile pressure on league leaders Arsenal.
Here, we have used our stats hub Kickform and some of the best online bookies to pick out three juicy bets ahead of Sunday’s meeting.
| Market | Odds | Return for £10 |
|---|---|---|
| Over 8.5 Corners | 11/20 (Betway) | £15.50 |
| Chelsea Over 1.5 Cards | 2/7 (Betway) | £12.86 |
| Erling Haaland to Score Anytime | 11/20 (Betway) | £15.50 |
| 2.10/1 (Betway) | £30.89 |
*Odds correct at 14:00 GMT on 02/01/2026. Odds subject to change.
Bet 1: Over 8.5 Corners
When it comes to corners, Chelsea are one of the leading teams in the competition, having been awarded the set piece 111 times.
Manchester City are currently on 107 for the season, meaning both teams tend to get a healthy number of corners in matches. With that in mind, we are kicking off our bet builder with an over 8.5 corners bet at around the 11/20 mark.
Bet 2: Chelsea Over 1.5 Cards
Corners are not the only thing that Chelsea excel in. Picking up bookings is another great skill which the Blues appear to have acquired this season.
Chelsea have seen a total of 47 bookings, which is just three away from Premier League card leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
On top of that, the London club have picked up four red cards. No team in the Premier League has seen more sending-offs than the hot-tempered Blues.
Bearing all those numbers in mind, we are backing the visitors to make a couple of appearances in Anthony Taylor’s book. Over 1.5 Chelsea bookings is the way to go.
No Expiry Date
Bet 3: Erling Haaland to Score Anytime
Erling Haaland has now gone two successive Premier League games without scoring a goal or bagging an assist. It has been over a year since the Norwegian superstar last went three straight games in the competition without a goal contribution.
The 25-year-old has been at his ruthless best this season, scoring 19 goals in as many league games, also chipping in with four assists.
Despite seeing his form dip over Christmas and New Year, it’s only a matter of time before Haaland rediscovers his groove.
With that in mind, we are backing the striker to bounce back against Chelsea – a team he tends to perform well against. In six previous league meetings, Haaland has accumulated four goals and two assists. We are now expecting the Norway international to add to that total on Sunday.
