Manchester City and Chelsea face off in a thrilling EFL Cup Third Round clash before the last weekend of club football with the World Cup just around the corner.
Man City’s dominance in the EFL Cup came to an end last season, the first time since 2017–18 that they hadn’t taken home the trophy. Man City has won the EFL Cup six times out of the last nine seasons, with only Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool able to end their dominance since 2013/14. Overall, Man City has won the EFL Cup more than Liverpool, who moved one ahead due to their success last year.
Many teams have found it difficult to get past Pep Guardiola’s unstoppable force. Man City has won four of their last five games since losing to Liverpool in October. Their only loss came against Borussia Dortmund in a Champions League draw, but that was still enough for them to secure a spot in the round of 16.
Chelsea was one of the two sides that benefited from Man City’s early season exit from the EFL Cup by making it to the final, although they were defeated by Liverpool on penalties, a result that would be repeated in the FA Cup final. Chelsea had competed in the EFL Cup final twice in the last four years, losing both times on penalties to Man City in a game infamous for Kepa Arrizabalaga’s refusal to leave the field.
This season, big things were expected of Chelsea, but under Graham Potter, who was hired to succeed Thomas Tuchel, the Blues have stumbled and appear to have lost their identity. Chelsea had a strong start under Potter, going nine games without a loss, but they have won just two of their last six games, both in the Champions League. They have now gone four games without a win in the Premier League, drawing two, and losing two, including a 1-0 loss to Arsenal last weekend. With Chelsea’s inconsistent form, Betfred is offering a sweet 9/20 for Pep’s men to clinch victory and advance to the next.