Chelsea v Man City
EFL Cup Final
Sunday February 24th, 2019 at 4.30 pm
The fabled quadruple. Manchester City will have the chance to put the first leg of that on the board this weekend as they entertain Chelsea in the EFL Cup Final. Granted, of the four titles that the Citizens are gunning for this season (Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Champions League) this will probably rank as being the lowest in priority.
But it is all about that winning mentality, that drive to win everything that is put in front of you. That is where Manchester City are at.
It is the EFL Cup Final of Chelsea v Manchester City on Sunday. The first piece of domestic silverware for the season will be handed out. Will the trophy be staying in London or will it be winging its way up north? Catch the action live on Sky Sports
Title defence
Winning becomes a habit as the saying goes and the Citizens are no strangers at doing that. They are the reigning champions in the EFL Cup having beaten Arsenal comfortably 3-0 at Wembley in last season’s corresponding fixture. The Citizens have won three of the last five editions of the EFL Cup. So even though it is down the pecking order in of prestige, it is something that Manchester City clearly still target, regardless.
They have won the title five times before, which makes them the joint second-most successful club in the history of the League Cup (Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea). But of those five wins, they haven’t managed to secure back to back titles in the competition. They head into the weekend’s action as the 11/20 favourites with leading bookmakers to pull it off.
There’s little surprise that Pep Guardiola’s men are going to be stepping out at Wembley as heavy favourites. They recently played host to Chelsea in the Premier League and the Citizens put a resounding 6-0 win on the board. It was as comfortable of a victory as they could have gotten. A clear show of dominance. They were playing on a different level to what a Chelsea side, who were (and are) in low-confidence, could match.
Recent Meetings
That is three times this season that the two clubs have met. The first was in the Community Shield back at the start of August which Manchester City won 2-0. Sandwiching that and their recent 6-0 thumping of the Blues, was a league home win for Chelsea. The Blues were the first side to beat Manchester City in a domestic fixture this season.
But now the weight of current head to head form is swinging well away from Chelsea. The Blues have lost four of their last six now against the Citizens in all competitions. The London club failed to score in any of those defeats. In some of them, they haven’t even been close to laying a glove on Manchester City.
Chelsea’s woes mount
With a limp FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester United in midweek and some recent heavy away losses in the Premier League, Chelsea are in a bit of turmoil. A win at Wembley from the position of 9/2 underdogs though would surely lift the grey clouds somewhat. It remains now their only realistic shot at any domestic silverware this season. So there is pressure on Chelsea at Wembley, but after what happened to them at the Etihad Stadium, will their mentality be one of caution. Will they simply start with the mindset of simply not wanting to get so badly embarrassed again?
Or can they come up with something new and imaginative? They may well need to.
While the Blues have only scored in one their last five against the Citizens, (which surely has to pique interest in the Both Teams To Score and To Win To Nil markets for the EFL Cup Final) the Blues have been having goal scoring issues in general, recently. Far too many. Chelsea have failed to score in three of their last five games in all competitions (written prior to their Thursday night Europa League fixture against Malmo). Outside of Stamford Bridge, they have scored in just one of their last five played. The arrival of Gonzalo Higuain hasn’t exactly sparked them into goalscoring life.
But the EFL Cup has brought them recent success. Since 2005 they have won three finals and have finished as runners up in one. This becomes a huge piece of silverware for them now. It would at least keep the restless fans happy for a day. The Blues have proven once already this season that they can produce the perfect performance to stifle the Citizens. They are just going to need to dig deeper than ever before to stop the might and power and offence that Manchester City bear.
Recent EFL CUP Final Trends
Four of the last six EFL Cup Finals have produced at least three goals (90 minutes)
Three of the last ten EFL Cup Finals have been settled by a penalty shootout
The most recent penalty shootout success was produced by Man City over Liverpool in 2016
The last team to win back to back EFL Cup title was Man Utd in 2010/11
A Measure of status
The meaning behind the EFL Cup final is vastly different. It is a big measure of status as well. Chelsea need this, need something to try and ignite a bit of self-belief and fight when they return to their other main goal this season, namely trying to finish in the top four in the Premier League. They walked off the pitch with their tails between their legs recently against City, which would make a win at Wembley for them even more significant, even more dramatic.
For City, it could be the first leg of an epic season for them. The other three titles would still be well within their reach. For them, it is about being able to push on to an even higher level of success. Another win at Wembley would see them make a big statement of intent.
