The Premier League’s 2024-25 season gets underway for Manchester City and Chelsea on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET on NBC.

The season opener at Stamford Bridge pits reigning champs Man City against a Chelsea team that finished in sixth place in the EPL in 2023-24 thanks to a strong finish following a rocky start.

City enter the 2024-25 season at shorter than +150 to win the league at most sportsbooks, while Chelsea’s Premier League outrights range from around +1400-+2000.

Chelsea are, however, seen as a realistic contender to finish top-four. They boast the fourth-shortest odds in the league in that market.

Sunday marks Italian Manager Enzo Maresca’s club debut for Chelsea.

Maresca was hired this summer after leading Leicester City to first place in the Championship (and promotion to the Premier League) last year.

He became the club’s fourth manager in two years under owner Todd Boehly, who fired incumbent Thomas Tuchel shortly after taking over back in September 2022.

Tuchel’s replacement, Graham Potter, was fired in April of the ’22-23 season, and Mauricio Pochettino was sacked last May after a one-year stint on the touchline.

City, on the other hand, have been as steady and dominant as any team in Premier League history under Manager Pep Guardiola. In 2024-25, he’s aiming for an unprecedented fifth straight EPL title and the club’s seventh in eight years dating back to 2017-18.

Chelsea vs. Manchester City Moneyline Odds

Manchester City are understandably the clear favorites given the uncertainty around how Chelsea will look in their first match under a new manager.

At bet365, the Over/Under for Chelsea vs. Manchester City is set at 2.5 (Over -188; Under +150).

Chelsea vs. Manchester City Betting Analysis

City lost forward Julian Alvarez this summer to Atletico Madrid, but otherwise returns most of the roster that won the EPL a year ago.

When will Maresca reach a decision on his first-choice XI?

One of the main reasons Chelsea struggled early in 2023-24 (they went just 6-4-8 in their first 18 games) was the inability to settle on a consistent lineup under Pochettino. Boehly spent massively in 2023 on a number of young players who needed time to figure out their roles in a deep squad. The result — for the first half of the season, at least — was a mess.

Injuries were a major factor, but by season’s end, Chelsea, which won its final five games last year, had finally settled on a lineup featuring Djordje Petrovic at keeper; Trevoh Chaloba, Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile and Marc Cucurella on the back line; Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo in midfield; and Mykhailo Mudryk, Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke up top.

That group featured a number of players who were starting due to injuries to Chelsea’s top players at those positions. Silva left this summer for Fluminense, and Gallagher is expected to have a move to Atletico Madrid finalized soon, while Petrovic is expected to lose the starting job to Robert Sanchez.

This year’s first-choice back line will return Cucurella at left back, with Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill starting at center back once they’re healthy, and Reece James will start at right back once he returns from a four-game suspension he received late last season.

Chelsea’s top midfielders this season will be Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The latter followed Maresca from Leicester to Chelsea this summer.

The Blues have a slew quality players at winger/forward.

Expect Palmer, who scored 22 Premier League goals in 29 starts at age 21 last year, and winger Noni Madueke to start most games. Christopher Nkunku will likely start at striker once he’s healthy, and Raheem Sterling, Mudryk and Wolves signing Pedro Neto are among the options on the left.

Chelsea vs. Manchester City Best Bets

Chelsea’s depth is enviable, but it’s hard to imagine Maresca having a cohesive group on the pitch for the opener this weekend against Manchester City.

City enter the season in form after beating Manchester United on PKs in the Community Shield on August 10, and there are few injury issues or question marks for Guardiola’s team.

Given the concerning performances Chelsea produced in its preseason friendlies, Maresca’s team does not appear likely to hit the ground running on Matchday 1, especially not against an attack featuring Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva.

The opening day home crowd and the new manager boost give Chelsea a good chance to find a goal at some point, but this team is dealing with too many injuries, and is too in flux on the back line, to pull off an upset.

Prediction: Chelsea 1, Manchester City 2

Best bets:

• Parlay: City Win, Over 1.5 (+110 at DK); also tempting: City Win, o2.5 (+150)
• Player prop: Cole Palmer 2 or More Shots on Target (+240 at DK)

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