Manchester City host Chelsea on Saturday evening, as both sides target a top-four finish after seeing their title ambitions slip in the earlier part of the season. It is their first meeting since the campaign's opening day, when City won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Match Preview
And it had looked as though City were getting into their groove, with a six-match unbeaten run that included 23 goals for and just four against. But they were brought back to earth midweek with a stunning 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Though City had led 2-0 early in the second half, its emotional state cracked, and it conceded three times in 22 minutes before Gonçalo Ramos cemented the outcome in injury time.
Now sitting 25th in the Champions League standings, City next week will need to beat Club Brugge in order to secure themselves a playoff for the last 16. Domestically, Pep Guardiola’s men have not been able to preserve leads, and have dropped nine matches in all competitions when having taken the lead; no Premier League club has done so than the nine times that City has dropped a match after scoring first this season.
With a tough run of league matches over the coming weeks against Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, City’s hopes of finishing in the top four may well depend on how it negotiates this pivotal stretch. And although the Citizens have lost their past three Premier League fixtures after competing in Europe, they are unbeaten in their last seven league matches against Chelsea (W5 D2).
Chelsea, meanwhile, have started to rediscover their form after a blip. After two draws and two losses around the New Year, the Blues have collected seven points in their last three, including a 3-1 win over Wolves on Monday. Enzo Maresca’s side snapped a five-game winless streak in the Premier League to climb back into the top four thanks to goals from Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke.
However, Chelsea have found it difficult to face Manchester City, without a victory in their last 10 meetings in all competitions since that famous 1-0 success in the 2021 Champions League final. Their most recent league victory over City was in May 2021, but their recent Etihad record is wretched, with only one clean sheet in the last 16 there.
Team News
City’s Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Jeremy Doku and Oscar Bobb are doubtful, and Rodri is still out with an ACL injury. January new boys Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis are eligible for selection and could bolster Guardiola’s options. Jack Grealish, who was good off the bench against PSG, could start too, while Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland are likely to spearhead the attack.
Chelsea are without a number of key players, including Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana, Benoît Badiashile and the suspended Mykhaylo Mudryk. Levi Colwill and Enzo Fernández are both doubts, with the latter set to face a late fitness test. Robert Sánchez may keep his place in goal despite his recent mistakes. Adamant former City players Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho will be crucial for the Blues’ attack.
Prediction
This could be an entertaining clash with both sides expecting to attack, yet Manchester City are the more favoured going into the contest, given home form and record against Chelsea in recent times. Hosts 2, Chelsea 1, although the Blues may create some issues by staying tough.
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