Top English clubs are back in action and it’s not a friendly game this time around. The first Cup of the season, or rather, a Shield, will be at stake this afternoon at Wembley. Chelsea and Manchester City are set to play for the first piece of silverware in the 2018/2019 season and give a green light to the big game. So how do the teams compare before the starting whistle? How did they do on the transfer market this summer and what are the odds? Let’s find out.

Chelsea

Chelsea had a rather lackluster season in the Premier League and the Champions League but managed to grab a fine piece of silverware in the FA Cup, beating Manchester United in the final at Wembley courtesy of Eden Hazard penalty strike. Two months of uncertainty followed as the love story between Antonio Conte and Chelsea was clearly over but the club failed to bring a replacement until late July. In a bid to shift the focus to a more attacking football and escape from dull defensive mentality, cultivated by Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, the club snatched Napoli head coach Maurizio Sarri, well known for his entertaining style of play, based on quick counterattacks. There was little time left for big improvements in terms of the squad and the new Italian manager only brought his pivotal midfielder Jorginho to London. In the meantime, he focused on keeping the Belgian duo Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard, as well as the Brazilian winger Willian, at the club, and so far excelled in the task. Hence, Chelsea now have quite a composed and well-knit team, considering they will not take part in the Champions League next season. Many players have already expressed their admiration for the new attacking style and the team could represent a major power in the 2018/2019 season.

Chelsea only played three friendly games this summer, beating Perth Glory in Australia and drawing with Internazionale and Arsenal. There are no serious injuries and all players are available for the match.

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola did not have to make many changes to his squad after a brilliant season that saw Manchester City win the Premier League and the League Cup. Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez is so far the only addition to the roster. Mind you, what is there to be changed when you win the Premier League with a record 100-point total and 19 points adrift of the closest rival? Yet, complacency is something that ruined ambitions of many teams before and Pep Guardiola is sure to take that into account. He does have some defensive issues at the moment as Danilo and Eliaquim Managala are sidelined with injuries, while Aymeric Laporte and Phil Foden sustained knocks in the previous friendly game and were subbed off. Just like Chelsea, Premier League champions played three friendly matches this season, losing against Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool and beating Bayern Munich.

Where and when: Wembley Stadium, London, 16.00 CET

Odds: according to William Hill, Manchester City are slight favorites with 2.05 odds (Chelsea 3.3, draw 3.6, Manchester City 2.05)