Chelsea v Man City Tips: Battle of the titans for spot in FA Cup final

Live on BBC One, Chelsea go up against Manchester City in the semifinals of the FA Cup at Wembley this Saturday. Both teams will be full of confidence coming into this game after qualifying for the semifinals of the Champions League this week. This is an extremely tough game to call where two of the best teams in the country will be going up against each other at a neutral venue. A thrilling encounter is on the cards and I have 3 bets for this clash.

Team News:

Kovacic and Christensen are out for Chelsea, no other injury/suspension worries.
Sergio Aguero is out for Manchester City, no other injury/suspension worries.

Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Kepa; James, Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; Alonso, Kante, Jorginho, Mount; Pulisic, Havertz

Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Steffen, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Sterling, Jesus, Foden

• Under 2.5 goals @ 4/5 - 1pt (unibet)
• Fernandinho to be carded @ 12/5 – 0.5pt (Betfair)
• Mason Mount and Kevin De Bruyne to have 1 or more shots on target from outside the box @ 10/1 (Betfair OddsBoost)

9 of Chelsea’s 11 games this season against the top 8 have seen less than 3 goals. I expect both teams to respect each other and be organised defensively, not letting the other side have too many  attempts at their goal. The midweek UCL games will have their effects on both these teams and I can’t see a quick and exciting start here. Under 2.5 goals looks to be a great bet @ 4/5 for a 1pt stake.

Fernandinho has received 6 yellow cards in his last 7 appearances. With Chelsea looking to hurt Manchester City on the counter attack, you can expect Fernandinho to pick up a yellow card for a cynical foul. This will be our 2nd bet of the game for a 0.5pt stake.

Both of these players love shooting from outside the box and considering this game is expected to be a cagey one I would not be surprised to see them try their luck from range. 10/1 looks a big price for both Mount and De Bruyne to hit the target from range at least once and we go with that as our longshot with a 0.25pt stake.

Best of luck if you follow these selections. Please always gamble responsibly.