It's time for a Premier League home opener as Manchester City battles Ipswich. We're live from Etihad Stadium, sharing our Premier League odds series, making a Manchester City-Ipswich prediction and pick.
Manchester City defeated Chelsea 2-0 in a convincing win at Stanford Bridge. It was a scoreless match when Erling Haaland came off a sweet pass from Bernardo Silva to give The Citizens a 1-0 lead. Then, Haaland earned a yellow card in the 65th minute, putting the lead in jeopardy. But the Blues finished things in the 84th minute when Mateo Kovacic leveled the game and sealed the victory with a goal.
Manchester City finished with 10 shots, including five that hit the net. Furthermore, they only yielded a 53-percent possession rate and a 75-percent tackle rate. The Citizens also finished with three corner-kick chances and only one offside.
Ipswich lost 2-0 to Liverpool in their return to the Premier League. It was not a good outing from the start, as Luke Woolfenden committed a yellow card in the sixth minute. Then, Omari Hutchison earned a yellow card in the 13th, while Wes Burns had one in the 24th. Things got worse in the 60th minute when their house of cards finally collapsed as they allowed Diogo Jota to score a goal. Then, they suffered again in the 65th minute, allowing Mohamed Salah to get one through the net.
Ipswich finished with six shots, including two on target, while Liverpool took a whopping 18 shots, including five that hit the target. Moreover, they had only a 39-percent possession rate and nine fouls. The Tractor Boys also had just two corner-kick chances while giving Liverpool 10. Likewise, their five offside violations and three yellow cards highlighted Ipswich's sloppy day.
The squads have not played a Premier League match since May 7, 2001. Curiously, Ipswich has won the last two Premier League matchups the squads have played.
Here are the Premier League odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Premier League Odds: Manchester City-Ipswich Odds
Manchester City: -1400
Ipswich: +2900
Draw: +1200
Over 2.5 goals: -358
Under 2.5 goals: +245
How to Watch Manchester City vs. Ipswich
Time: 10 AM ET/7 AM PT
TV: Peacock
Stream: (Click Here for Free Trial)
Why Manchester City Will Win
After disposing of Chelsea on the road, Manchester City looks like the best team in the Premier League. Amazingly, they did everything right and showed few weaknesses.
Haaland finished with a goal on two shots, both of which hit the target, and seven shots. Meanwhile, Jeremy Doku was efficient with two shots, including one that hit the target and 33 passes.
Kovacic paced the midfielders with one goal on two shots, including one that hit the target and 58 passes. Likewise, Kevin Du Bruyne had two shots and 48 passes. Silva finished with one assist and one shot on target while registering 50 passes.
The defense was elite in this matchup. Rico Lewis led the way with two tackles and seven clears. Ultimately, it made things much smoother for the goalkeeper. Ederson stopped all three shots he faced.
Manchester City will win this matchup if the forwards and midfielders can continue playing efficiently and mistake-free. Then, they need the defense to continue applying pressure and force Ipswich to make some mistakes.
Why Ipswich Will Win
Ipswich is the heavy underdog because they are the new kids on the block, while Manchester City are the seasoned veterans. Thus, this could get out of hand quickly.
None of the forwards garnered a single shot on target. However, Conor Chaplin had 19 passes. Sam Morsy paced the midfielders with 38 passes. Meanwhile, Omari Hutchison had three shots, one on target, and 18 passes.
The defense did the best it could under the circumstances. Yet, it was not enough. Woolfenden was the best, with 11 clears and one interception. Significantly, goalkeeper Christian Walton finished with three saves while conceding two goals. Manchester City will be even more imposing and difficult to stop.
Ipswich will win this matchup if the forwards and midfielders can maintain possession of the ball and find a way to garner shot attempts. Then, they need to play tight defense and make strong tackles to prevent Manchester City from breaking free.
Final Manchester City-Ipswich Prediction & Pick
Picking Manchester City to win will not garner much of a benefit since they are the overwhelming favorites. Instead, the best course of action would be to pair a Manchester City win with another bet. We could see this game getting out of hand with Manchester City winning and scoring multiple goals. Consequently, they will be too overwhelming for Ipswich to contend with. Pick Manchester City to win and for both teams to combine for more than 2.5 goals.
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Final Manchester City-Ipswich Prediction & Pick: Manchester City (-1400), Over 2.5 goals (-358)
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