Manchester City will look to win their first trophy of the season when they take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup Final this Sunday. The Citizens are odds-on favorites to win the competition, and there have been whispers of the club potentially winning anywhere from two to four trophies this year. They are still in good shape in the FA Cup, Premier League, and Champions League, and this would get them off to a good start. City have won three of the last five Carabao Cup titles.
Don't miss the Carabao Cup Final from Wembley Stadium in London at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, February 24, 2019. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN Plus.
Carabao Cup Final Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Manchester City -178
Chelsea +467
Draw +331
Over/Under 2.5 and 3
Odds Analysis
Chelsea have been slumping in recent weeks. Although the Blues are into the Europa League Round of 16, they have lost three of their last six matches in all competitions, being shut out by Bournemouth, Manchester City, and Manchester United. A rift seems to be growing between first-year manager Maurizio Sarri and the rest of the club, but a win would do a lot to change all that.
The Citizens are back to their winning ways. Manchester City have stomped their last four English foes and overcame a Nicolas Otamendi red card to knock off Schalke 04 in the first leg of their Champions League tie on Wednesday. City knocked off their four previous foes by multiple goals, and they have to be feeling good after beating Chelsea 6-0 two weeks ago. In that match, Sergio Aguero had a hat trick, Raheem Sterling had a brace, and Ilkay Gundogan rounded out the scoring sheet. City were up 4-0 after 25 minutes in what ended up as the worst loss in Chelsea’s EPL history.
Key Injuries
Marco van Ginkel is a long-term injury for the side of Chelsea, and both Gary Cahill and Daniel Drinkwater have been declared out with no timetable for a return. Davide Zappacosta and Pedro are both questionable, but the big concern is goalkeeper Kepa. Kepa is doubtful to play against City due to a hamstring injury, and not having their high-priced goalkeeper would be a huge blow for Chelsea.
Claudio Bravo is a long-term injury for Manchester City, and three others are likely to miss this match too. Benjamin Mendy, Gabriel Jesus, and John Stones have all been declared unlikely to play.
Player to Watch
If Chelsea are going to pull off the upset here, Sarri might want to move star midfielder N’Golo Kante back to a more familiar position. Sarri has had Kante play more of an attacking role this season, even though Kante is known as the best defensive midfielder in the world. Kante is the type of player that can break up City’s attack and leave them flustered, but whether or not Sarri changes tactic is up in the air.
Prop Bet – Manchester City -1.5 +149
We’ve already seen it once before, so I wouldn’t be stunned to see City win in a blowout. Sarri is not the type of manager that changes tactics, and I expect him to prove the old maxim about insanity by running out the same lineup and hoping for a different result without any philosophical changes. He strikes me as a Jose Mourinho type that believes he knows better than anyone and won’t make the logical changes he needs to, and that could cost him his job.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
I see this being a laugher. Although it won’t quite be 6-0, Manchester City will not have any problems dealing with Chelsea. Look for the Citizens to cruise to an easy win and Sarri to be sacked on Monday.
Carabao Cup Final Odds: Manchester City 3, Chelsea 0
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