You BetIn-form City can take advantage of Chelsea
Champs should stay unbeaten as they take on Blues still trying to get over Di Matteo departure
Two bets stand out in this weekend's English Premier League programme and one of them is in the big match between Chelsea and Manchester City. The reigning champions have the edge and not only because of Chelsea's slump in form that led to the sacking of Roberto di Matteo on Wednesday, the morning after their 3-0 defeat at Juventus in the Champions League.
City's form is solid, if less spectacular than at the same stage last season. They are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League (every other side has had at least two defeats) and have taken 14 out of a possible 18 against top-half teams, which emphasises that they remain a class act despite their problems in the Champions League.
One of the two draws against top-half opposition was the goalless game at West Ham, which is the only time City have failed to score this season. Roberto Mancini's side are unbeaten in the last 29 Premier League games in which they have scored, winning 24, which suggests Chelsea will find it hard to win without an immediate tightening of their defence.
The unravelling of Di Matteo's reign at Stamford Bridge owed much to the disarray of his defence, with no clean sheet in their last 10 games and 18 goals conceded in 10 games against teams from the Champions League or the top half of the Premier League. Despite last season's Champions League success, Di Matteo had started to look like a man without a plan and for once Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich appears to have made the right decision at the right time by getting rid of him.
Interim manager Rafael Benitez is a somewhat strange choice, however, given Abramovich's preference for attacking football. Benitez is renowned for putting defence first, which is good because that area is in need of urgent attention, although his preference for zonal marking may add to the confusion in the short term.
Benitez's relationship with Fernando Torres may be just as important to turning Chelsea's form around. Torres scored 56 Premier League goals in three seasons under Benitez at Liverpool, whereas his total is just 22 goals in a similar period of time under other managers at Liverpool and Chelsea. It may be that Torres has lost his spark for good, but the next few months under Benitez should provide the answer.