Alan Smith Delivers Verdict On Who Will Finish Higher Out Of Man City And Chelsea – Exclusive
Sky Sports commentator Alan Smith thinks Man City “will finish ahead of Chelsea” this season.
Some have made Enzo Maresca’s former club dark horses for the title, but speaking exclusively to Man City News (courtesy of Best Betting Sites UK), Smith said that he sees the Cityzens ending the season in 2nd place above the Blues:
“I still see City as a better all-round outfit. I still think City will finish ahead of Chelsea. So I think Chelsea will get a Champions League spot, but maybe not finish in a runners-up position.”
Smith, like most pundits, is backing Arsenal to retain their title. The Gunners are the only team who haven’t dropped points so far this campaign, along with City.
What does Opta’s Supercomputer predict?
The statisticians at Opta agree with Smith’s assessment. Their predicted final table has Arsenal finishing top with an expected points total of 77.92. City are in 2nd place with an expected points total of 72.29.
Liverpool (61.49) are currently predicted to finish 3rd, with Chelsea (59.62) in 4th and Manchester United in 5th (56.60).
Man City have a big test on Sunday
Maresca has not had an overly difficult beginning to life at the Etihad in terms of his opponents in the Premier League. Bournemouth (h), Crystal Palace (a) and Coventry (h) is not a particularly tough run, but it is the Manchester derby this weekend.
United have had a pretty poor start, losing to Hull, beating Ipswich and drawing against Everton, but meetings between the two rivals don’t always go by the formbook.
Maresca will, however, be keen to ingratiate himself to the City faithful by getting a big win at Old Trafford – a venue where his predecessor, Pep Guardiola, won on no less than 5 occasions during his tenure.