FA CUP FINAL SATURDAY: The Striker previews CHELSEA v MAN CITY with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
CHELSEA V MANCHESTER CITY
3pm The FA Cup Final arrives at Wembley on Saturday, and we have a cracker too as Chelsea face Manchester City on Betdaq Betting Exchange! This is a clash between a side chasing a domestic treble – although unlikely with Arsenal having nearly two hands on the title – and a club that desperately needs to salvage something from one of the most chaotic seasons! This should be a cracking Cup Final – unsurprisingly given how Chelsea have been finishing the season, Manchester City come into the game as the odds on favourites at 1.74 with Chelsea 5.1 and the draw is 4.2 at the time of writing.
Much was made about City not filling their allocation of tickets in the Semi-Final, but obviously their fans have been to Wembley a lot. They already lifted the Carabao Cup earlier this season after Arsenal after all. That was one of their best performances of the season, and that felt like it kick started their charge towards Arsenal. Obviously they slipped up with the 3-3 draw against Everton, and now Arsenal have a nice two point cushion at the top of the Premier League. They have suffered key injuries to Rodri, Gvardiol and Ruben Dias at the worst possible time – the cracks in Guardiola’s backline have been well documented in recent weeks. And then there is Chelsea. It is almost impossible to know where to begin with the chaos at Stamford Bridge this season.
They started the campaign under Enzo Maresca in seemingly a great place, they had won the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup in 2025, but he was dismissed on New Year’s Day. Then came Liam Rosenior, handed a six-year contract and publicly backed by most of the players – they seemed to be very happy for the first few weeks under him – then it turned sour quite quickly. Five consecutive Premier League defeats without a single goal saw him given his marching orders, and now Calum McFarlane has stepped in as caretaker for the second time this season. Chelsea’s season has been a disaster really – they are going to miss out on European football unless they win here, so while we have a trophy on offer, the stakes are even higher than that. What hasn’t helped either is the total loss of form by Cole Palmer.
The xG data from the Premier League season tells the story of a clear gulf in class. City’s average xG created of 1.84 is the best attacking figure in the Premier League this season, while their xG conceded of 1.12 is the second best defensive figure. Chelsea’s average xG created of 1.57 is the joint-fifth best, but clearly they have struggled in front of goal recently. Only one win in their last eleven Premier League games, but only two goals in seven games! Their average xG conceded of 1.29 is the third best defensive figure, they should clearly be higher in the table but they’ve been all over the place this season. I don’t doubt that Chelsea might raise their game for a Final, but the 1.74 on City looks cracking value. They have been the better side this season, are playing much better football recently and it’s hard to have any confidence in Chelsea at the moment. I’d have City sub 1.7, and I feel we’re getting enough value at 1.74 for a Five Star NAP!
The Striker Says:
Five points win Manchester City to beat Chelsea at 1.74 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/FAChMc
