Manchester City vs Chelsea - The ultimate 16/1 'Request A Bet'

Manchester City slipped nine points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool before the international break and Pep Guardiola's side could be as many as 12 points off top spot by the time they welcome Chelsea in Saturday's late kick-off.

Chelsea are the underdogs heading to the Etihad but should not be underestimated. Helped by winning their last six matches in the league, the best run of form in the division, Chelsea are actually a point above City in the table.

There is so much at stake, particularly for City, and we are here to add to the excitement. We have priced together a juicy 16/1 'Request A Bet' from SkyBet to get you involved in the drama as well.

Request 1: Sergio Aguero anytime

Reports have emerged in the last week claiming Chelsea missed their chance to sign Sergio Aguero before Manchester City, with their interest pre-dating to 2010 - a year before he ended up at City. As the story goes, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich balked at Atletico's asking price and the rest is history. The Russian billionaire can't look back with regret on too many decisions at Chelsea but watching Aguero slip through his fingers must rank towards the top.

Since then, Aguero has gone on to become City's all-time leading goalscorer and has particularly enjoyed playing against Chelsea. The 31-year-old scored a hat-trick in the last Premier League meeting between the two sides and has 15 career goals against the Blues in total, more than against any other team in his career.

The WhoScored.com match forecast, which compares each side's statistically calculated strengths and weaknesses, belives it is very likely City will score against Chelsea as a result of a through ball.

Of players that have started at least 15 matches in the Premier League over the last three seasons, only one completes a through ball more frequently than De Bruyne. Moreover, there is no greater assist-to-goalscorer combination in the Premier League this season than De Bruyne to Aguero (three goals), further strengthening Aguero's case to add to his current tally of nine league goals for the campaign.

Request 2:  Jorginho to be carded

Back from suspension, Jorginho may find it difficult to stay out of the referee's notebook when Chelsea resume their rivalry with City on Saturday.

While Chelsea like to play on the front foot under Lampard, they will have to accept City will see most of the ball at the Etihad. City are the only side to average more than 60% possession in the Premier League this season and that figure rises slighly in home matches, as you would expect.

Chelsea's best chance of success is from the counter-attack using the pace of the likes of Willian and Christian Pulisic. With that, they will have to do a lot of defending on Saturday and that will come with its risks. Jorginho, for example, has been booked in every competitive appearance he has made against City since joining Chelsea 18 months ago (three bookings in three games). Furthermore, only one player has been carded more times than the Chelsea midfielder in the Premier League this season (five).

Request 3: Chelsea to score 2+ goals

There won't be many better occasions to play this version of Manchester City than now, with Pep Guardiola's side now nine points off first and on the brink of seeing their title challenge perish before December.  

This corresponding fixture last season ended in a resounding 6-0 win for City but a lot has changed since then. Chelsea have their tails up heading into Saturday's match, having won each of their last six league games - the best current streak in the division.

Chelsea may not be expected to win on Saturday but they should certainly be able to trouble Pep Guardiola's side, who have been extremely suspect at the back of late as they continue to deal with key absences.  

City have failed to keep a clean sheet in five of their last six matches in all competitions. As a result of City's latest defensive shortcomings, they have developed a statistically WhoScored.com calculated weakness of stopping opponents from creating chances. That is not an ideal formula up against a team in Chelsea with the best attack in the league away from home (18 goals scored).

Request 4: 5+ City corners taken

We have become so accustomed to City utterly dominating their opponents under Pep Guardiola that it has often looked like the defending Premier League champions are playing a different game. That shouldn't be the case on Saturday, but City are still expected to dominate almost every aspect, statistically.

Given the way in which City play, it is unsurprising they rank top in the division for possession (61.1%), pass accuracy (88.5%), goals scored (35), shots per game (21.5) and WhoScored.com rating (7.15). City spend double the amount of time with the ball in the opposition third than they do in their own third and with that they constantly carve out goalscoring chances.

At a league-best average of 7.2 shots on target per game, City are always likely to get a lot of corners, which they do. A return of 9.2 corners per game is again the most in the Premier League this season and helps round off our four-fold Request a Bet.

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