Paul Merson is expecting the two sides to share the spoils when Manchester City play Chelsea on Sunday evening.
Pep Guardiola’s side are somewhat undercooked heading into the clash at Stamford Bridge and, writing in his column for Sportskeeda, Merson said that could influence the result:
“This is a good time to play Man City, and this was a brilliant game last season. Chelsea could hold City to a draw this weekend.”
Merson has gone with a 1-1 scoreline. That prediction will not go down too well with City fans who will be hoping that their team can get off to a winning start.
Guardiola has issued a warning about his side’s lack of match sharpness
Although the Cityzens did win against rivals Manchester United in the Community Shield last week, it was a somewhat under-par performance from the Premier League champions.
In the days leading up to the game, Guardiola did say that his team had arrived “late” in pre-season, meaning that they could struggle in their opening few matches.
He singled out the Chelsea and Ipswich fixtures as being matches where his team would have to battle to avoid dropping points.
City could be without some key players
Rodri, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Phil Foden were given extended breaks after playing in the European Championship final, and most of them have only returned to training over the past few days.
It would be a tough ask for any of them to start at Stamford Bridge, although some could make the bench. Guardiola feels the month-long vacations for these players should prove beneficial in the long run as it will avoid burnout.
However, it could have consequences for the team in the short term and City know they will be in for a tough game versus Chelsea this weekend.
