FA CUP SEMI-FINAL: The Striker previews the first FA Cup semi-final between MAN CITY v CHELSEA with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MANCHESTER CITY V CHELSEA
5.15pm The FA Cup Semi-Finals arrive on BETDAQ Betting Exchange this weekend, and we have two cracking games to enjoy at Wembley. Everyone will be expecting the two Manchester clubs to progress, but we didn’t exactly see the favourites come through in the Champions League this week! Unfortunately, Manchester City were one of the casualties, losing at home to Real Madrid on penalties – there goes their chance of completing back-to-back trebles. City were very well backed and ended up starting the game close to 1.6 – they are actually a bigger price to win this game!
Much like Arsenal who play in the Premier League later in the day, City just have to pick themselves up and get on with it. A Premier League and FA Cup double would still be an excellent season. With Liverpool and Arsenal both losing at home last weekend, City are now in an excellent position for the Premier League. You’d have to fancy their chances of beating this Chelsea side too who have been very average this season. I was actually surprised to see City trading at a bigger price here than to beat Real Madrid midweek who have been excellent in La Liga. City are 1.65 with Chelsea 5.5 and the draw is 4.6 at the time of writing.
City will be a very popular bet this weekend, even allowing for the fact they crashed out of the Champions League. Chelsea have been bang-average, and they are only just sitting in the top half of the Premier League at the moment. Even when you thought they were hammering Everton and coming into this game in a good place, the players start arguing over who takes a penalty. I think that just highlights the problems Chelsea have faced over the last two season; it seems like it’s every man for himself rather than a team. It will be interesting to see what type of performance we get from them here – they did manage to get two draws against City in the league this season. An incredible 4-4 in November and then a 1-1 in February.
Obviously 4-4’s don’t happen often and that was just an incredible game, but City absolutely bossed the meeting in February. It might have finished 1-1 but City finished the game with an xG of 2.43. They could have easily scored three or four on a different day. Chelsea have leaked chances consistently all season; their average xG conceded is 1.47 which is basically mid-table level. For City, it’s only 0.94 which is the second best defensive figure just behind Arsenal at 0.91. City also have the best attacking figure in the Premier League with an average xG created of 2.24.
I know City had a difficult week with the Real Madrid game, but the 1.65 looks great value in my opinion. Chelsea are there for the taking, and if you look at the stats there’s a gulf in class between the sides performance wise. I do feel we’ll get an open game, and Over 2.5 goals is also a nice option at 1.62. However, at three ticks bigger I feel City is the better bet. It’s a confident bet, and it’s worth five from five points!
The Striker Says:
Five points win Manchester City to beat Chelsea at 1.65 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/MncChl
