Chelsea and Manchester City will be desperate to bounce back to winning ways when they face off at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
Gameweek 19 of the 2022/23 Premier League season will continue on Thursday with a blockbuster clash. Chelsea and Manchester City will lock horns at Stamford Bridger, with both teams looking to return to winning ways after a sub-par restart to their campaigns.
2022/23 has been a dramatic season thus far for Chelsea. The Blues saw a raft of changes in their first-team squad, with Todd Boehly sanctioning big-money deals. And Thomas Tuchel lost his job just a month into the new term. Graham Potter replaced the German tactician, but their fortunes have not changed considerably as they have won only one of their last eight domestic games.
On the other hand, Pep Guardiola has overseen a few subtle changes to the Manchester City squad. But the Citizens have been uncharacteristically sloppy in the Premier League, dropping points in five of their 16 games thus far, including the 1-1 draw with Everton over the weekend. That has allowed Arsenal to open up a seven-point gap heading into the latest round of fixtures.
Chelsea and Manchester City have already clashed once this season, with Guardiola’s men beating the Blues 2-0 in the Carabao Cup. And the Citizens won the corresponding fixture 1-0 last season thanks to a goal by Gabriel Jesus. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
The Chelsea way. Togetherness. 👊 pic.twitter.com/cwi2vCOLVk
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 2, 2023
Graham Potter does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Manchester City. On Thursday, the Chelsea manager will be bereft of the services of seven first-team players.
Reece James (knee) and Ben Chilwell (hamstring) are the most notable absentees for Chelsea. In addition, Edouard Mendy (shoulder), Wesley Fofana (knee), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (calf), N’Golo Kante (hamstring), and Armando Broja (knee) are the other Chelsea players on the sidelines.
Graham Potter has altered his formation slightly lately, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 in front of Kepa Arrizabalaga. And Cesar Azpilicueta should continue to deputise for James as the right-back. Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly will likely form the central defensive partnership, with Marc Cucurella continuing as the left-back.
Jorginho seems to be closing in on leaving Chelsea as a free agent. And the Italian international might not start, with Denis Zakaria being impressive lately. The Swiss midfielder should line up alongside Mateo Kovacic in the double pivot.
Mason Mount will be the most advanced midfielder for Chelsea, with the Englishman pulling the strings from a free role. Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic should be the two wide attackers, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the line for Chelsea against Manchester City.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Silva, Koulibaly, Cucurella; Kovacic, Zakaria; Sterling, Mount, Pulisic; Aubameyang
Manchester City
Unlike his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Pep Guardiola does not have over half a dozen players unavailable ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Manchester City manager will likely be without three first-team players on Thursday.
Ruben Dias is a long-term absentee for Manchester City due to a hamstring injury. In addition, Guardiola is sweating over the fitness of Aymeric Laporte. The Spanish international might not feature, with Julian Alvarez also likely to be unavailable again.
Next stop Chelsea! 🔜 pic.twitter.com/e6saDXUyl0
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 4, 2023
John Stones and Manuel Akanji should form the central defensive partnership in Dias and Laporte’s absence. So Kyle Walker should feature as the right-back, with Rico Lewis dropping to the bench. Joao Cancelo has barely featured for Manchester City since the season restarted. But the Portuguese international should return on Thursday, with Nathan Ake making way.
Guardiola usually banks on all his first-choice midfielders for such big games. So Bernardo Silva should start on the right wing, with Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne being the box-to-box midfielders. And Rodri will sit at the base of the Manchester City midfield against Chelsea.
Erling Haaland picks himself to spearhead the Manchester City attack. And Phil Foden might finally earn a start after being on the bench in the last two games. Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish will be backup options for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Akanji, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Silva, Haaland, Foden
Key Stats
- Chelsea have lost their last two Premier League home games against Manchester City. Only against Blackburn Rovers (1993/94 to 1995/96) and Arsenal (2020/21 to 2022/23) have they lost three in a row at Stamford Bridge. The Citizens have won seven of their last ten Premier League meetings with Chelsea (L3), as many as they had in their previous 25 against the Blues (D4 L14).
- Pep Guardiola has lost just seven of his 34 Premier League games in London as Manchester City manager (W22 D5), with these seven defeats coming against either Chelsea (3) or Tottenham Hotspur (4).
- Manchester City have won their first Premier League game in the last ten calendar years since a 1-0 loss at Sunderland in 2012. Their first league game in 2021 and 2022 also came in London (3-1 vs Chelsea in 2021, 2-1 vs Arsenal in 2022).
- Chelsea have lost just one of their last 11 Premier League home games (W6 D4), with their 1-0 defeat against Arsenal in November the only time they have failed to score in their last 23 league games at Stamford Bridge. On the other hand, Manchester City have only lost one of their last 25 away Premier League matches (W18 D6), losing 1-0 to Liverpool in October.
- Erling Haaland has seven goals in his six away Premier League appearances for Man City, netting twice in London in August against West Ham. Only two players have scored more than one goal in their first two away Premier League appearances in London – Mark Robins in 1992 (for Norwich vs Arsenal and Chelsea) and Michu in 2012 (for Swansea vs QPR and Arsenal).
Player to Watch
Raheem Sterling
Sterling faces Manchester City in the Premier League for the first time since joining Chelsea. And the English international will be raring to make his mark on Thursday and get his season back on track.
The 28-year-old has blown hot and cold in the first few months of his Chelsea stint. The incident during the 2022 FIFA World Cup has further impacted Sterling. But he now seems to be regaining confidence and momentum. And the timing might be ideal for the former Manchester City man to stamp his authority for the west London club.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-2 Manchester City
The two teams have not been solid at the back lately. So Chelsea and Manchester City might produce an entertaining game on Thursday. The visitors, in particular, have been disappointingly vulnerable, and the dropped points against Everton might cost them dearly.
But Manchester City will have the opportunity to close the gap to Arsenal after the Gunners played a goalless stalemate with Newcastle United. However, Chelsea will trouble the visitors and hope to take something from the game. In the end, the defending champions should be too strong for the struggling hosts. And The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola’s men.
