“Unpopular opinion, Chelsea will beat Manchester CITY” – Premier League legend reveals 3 reasons why Enzo Maresca will beat Pep Guardiola’s team
Gabriel Agbonlahor believes Chelsea will surprise everyone by defeating Manchester City in the season’s first match.
Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca era begins on Sunday afternoon when City visits Stamford Bridge.
The history between the two managers is the most evident of the many narratives leading up to the matchup.
Maresca became an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City in 2022, however he only stayed for one season before taking over as manager of Leicester City in June 2023.
After helping the Foxes win the Championship and earn an immediate return to the Premier League, Chelsea signed the Italian to take Mauricio Pochettino’s place.
Maresca’s chances are not good given Guardiola’s track record against his former protégés.
He has beaten Mikel Arteta, now in charge of Arsenal, eight times from 12 games and former Burnley boss Vincent Kompany twice.
However, Agbonlahor believes City go into the contest at a serious disadvantage, presenting Maresca and Chelsea a golden chance to cause the upset.
“This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think they (Chelsea) beat Manchester City, I really do,” Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT Breakfast.
“I feel that City losing [Julian] Alvarez, Oscar Bobb injured, Jack Grealish’s hamstring problem, the Community Shield, I think this could be the game where Chelsea start off the season on a high.”
Adding to Chelsea’s chance of a boilover is the absence of City’s midfield talisman, Rodri.
Guardiola confirmed in his press conference Rodri was ‘no chance’ of featuring against Chelsea having been afforded extra time off due to his involvement with Spain’s triumphant Euro 2024 campaign.
“He had zero training sessions with us,” Guardiola said.
“He’s not ready.”
Much has been made of City’s record without Rodri last season, with the club winning only one out of the four games he did not feature in.
City’s recent away form without Rodri is equally uninspiring, having lost their last four league games on their travels without the 28-year-old.
In another pleasing omen for Chelsea, City lost the only season opener they were without Rodri when they were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham to start the 2021/22 campaign.
There will also be intrigue as to how Guardiola prepares his attacking unit against Chelsea.
As Agbonlahor pointed out, they sold Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid and have failed to sign a replacement.
Alvarez played the fourth-most Premier League minutes for City last term and leaves a gaping hole in City’s attack, even if Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland remains the focal point up top.