Overview
Just a few weeks ago, Arsenal was still considered a bright candidate for a quadruple, or at least a domestic treble. But the situation changed quickly as the season entered a decisive stage.
Although still leading the Premier League with a 9-point gap, Arsenal is under significant pressure as Manchester City has won their first title, and also advanced deep in the FA Cup - in contrast to the "Gunners" being eliminated by Southampton. This makes the psychological balance in the championship race somewhat lean towards Pep Guardiola's team.
The victory over Sporting CP in the Champions League helps Arsenal regain stability, but Man City is the team that is possessing psychological momentum. And in a long-term race, form and winning inertia always have special meaning.
This weekend, Man City will be guests against Chelsea - a team eager to regain its image after a disappointing performance against Everton. However, reaching the FA Cup semi-finals partly shows that The Blues still have the potential to create surprises.
Developments at Stamford Bridge will be directly affected by the result of the Arsenal - Bournemouth match before that. If Arsenal wins, the gap can be widened to 12 points. Conversely, just one stumble is enough to make the race more tense than ever before the great battle at the Etihad on April 19.
April was originally Man City's golden time under Guardiola. Statistics show that they won 28/31 recent Premier League matches this month, averaging 2.50 points/match - the highest number in league history for a coach. That explains why Man City always accelerates strongly at the end of the season.
Arsenal understands that, and they also expect Chelsea to create the necessary tap-in. However, the London team's form is not really convincing when they have only won 1/6 of their most recent matches in the Premier League, and have just experienced two consecutive defeats.
The absence of Enzo Fernandez due to suspension further makes Chelsea face difficulties, because the Argentine midfielder is the center of creativity with 41 cross-line passes and 51 chances created this season. The responsibility is likely to fall on Cole Palmer - who is a rare bright spot in the attack.
On the other side, Erling Haaland just scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup, but his form in the Premier League shows signs of slowing down when he has only scored 3 goals in the last 12 matches.
The championship race at this time is not just a story of points, but also a battle of psychology and explosion time. And with what is happening, each match this weekend can create a chain reaction for the rest of the season.
Head-to-head record
Chelsea is clearly inferior to Man City in recent Premier League encounters.
Specifically, The Blues have not won in their last 9 encounters (3 draws, 6 losses) since the 2-1 victory away from home in May 2021 - when they still maintained balance against their opponent.
In the opposite direction, Man City shows dominance even when playing away. Pep Guardiola's team has won 4/5 recent matches at Stamford Bridge (1 draw), a record equivalent to the number of wins they have achieved in the previous 26 away matches (8 draws, 14 losses).
This change clearly reflects the shift in power. From the previous balance, Man City now not only controls the game but also excels in both bravery and efficiency when facing Chelsea.
Score prediction: Chelsea 0-2 Man City
The match between Chelsea and Man City takes place at 10:30 p.m. on April 12 (Vietnam time).
