Chelsea will travel to the Etihad to take on Manchester City for the second time this week in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.
Revenge will be in sight when Chelsea take on Manchester City in the FA Cup third round at the Etihad. Riyad Mahrez’s goal proved to be the difference between these two sides when they met in the Premier League earlier this week.
Manchester City’s defeat to Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League final is still pretty fresh in the mind. And the reigning Premier League champions have not been beaten by the west Londoners since then.
Despite their narrow win over Chelsea, the difference could still be visible as Pep Guardiola and Manchester City seem to be a few notches ahead of Graham Potter and the Blues. City are still in the title charge, with Arsenal five points ahead of them. But they are emphasising equal importance to the cup competitions as it stands.
Chelsea could find it more difficult to find inspiration following their defeat in the previous match. And Potter will have to inject confidence into his squad before this weekend. Their summer rebuild has not gone to plan, and they have brought in Benoit Badiashile from AS Monaco to strengthen their position. Persistent struggle in the final third has been a regular issue for Chelsea, and Manchester City have already exploited it a number of times.
Manchester City 🤝 Clean sheets against Chelsea pic.twitter.com/Nmst5KmnON
— GOAL (@goal) January 5, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte remain on the sidelines, and Pep Guardiola will have to figure out a backline without them. The Manchester City manager opted for a three-man backline in the previous game against Chelsea. But he will likely restore the four-man defence in this clash.
Stefan Ortega will return in the goal, while Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake will take up their places at the heart of the defence. Kyle Walker was called off just after the break, and he will start this match on the right side of the defence. Joao Cancelo will be stationed as the left-back.
Guardiola criticised Kalvin Phillips for being overweight following the World Cup break. But the English international will get another chance to showcase his talent. Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne were involved in the last match, and they will get along together again to inflict more damage on the west London giants.
Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish combined for the winner in the last game, and they will start on the right and left flanks respectively. Finally, Julian Alvarez will try to replicate his World Cup form, and he will get the nod to lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ortega; Walker, Akanji, Ake, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Gundogan, Phillips; Mahrez, Alvarez, Grealish
Chelsea
Chelsea’s chances took another hit as both Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic had to be subbed off. And the duo has joined the Blues’ growing list of injuries. Mason Mount, Recce James, N’Golo Kante, Armando Broja and Edouard Mendy remain in the treatment room. But Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell and Ruben Loftus-Cheek should make it in time to feature in the squad.
Kepa Arizzabalaga will continue to be in the goal, while Kalidou Koulibaly and Trevoh Chalobah will be standing up in front of him to shore up the defence. Marc Cucurella and Cesar Azpilicueta will complete the defensive setup.
Denis Zakaria and Jorginho should line up in the middle of the park for Chelsea to resist the Manchester City attack. And youngster Carney Chukwuemeka will stand to gain more confidence from another outing under his belt.
Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should start on the flanks, while Kai Havertz would be hoping to repeat his Champions League heroics this time.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Cucurella; Chukwuemeka, Jorginho, Zakaria; Ziyech, Havertz, Aubameyang
Key Stats
- This is the eighth meeting between Manchester City and Chelsea in the FA Cup. The Citizens have won four, and the Blues have won three of those ties, including each of the last two (5-1 in 2015/16 fifth round, 1-0 in the 2020/21 semi-final).
- Chelsea have lost five of their last six away matches against Manchester City (W1) in all competitions. Their one win in that time was in May 2021 in the Premier League under Thomas Tuchel, a 2-1 victory.
- Manchester City have already eliminated Chelsea from the League Cup this season, winning 2-0 in November. This could be the second consecutive season that Chelsea are knocked out of both the League Cup and FA Cup by the same team, losing in the final of both competitions to Liverpool in 2021/22.
- Chelsea have progressed from each of their last 24 FA Cup third round ties, stretching back to the 1998/99 season. This is the joint longest run of progressions from the third round, along with Man Utd between 1984/85 and 2008/09, although the Red Devils did not take part in the 1999/00 campaign after withdrawing to take part in the FIFA Club World Championship.
- Since the 2016/17 season when Pep Guardiola took charge of Manchester City for the first time, only Chelsea (27) have won more FA Cup games than the Citizens (24). Guardiola has never previously gone out at the earliest stage in a domestic cup competition in a season in his managerial career across the FA Cup, League Cup, DFB-Pokal and Copa del Rey (progressed 20/20).
Player to Watch
Julian Alvarez
Julian Alvarez already showed what he is capable of at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and Pep Guardiola would want him to provide stiff competition to Erling Haaland. Chelsea’s defence has shown vulnerability throughout the season, and Manchester City’s attacking unit would be ready to pile more pressure on them.
¡Calidad! 💥📸 pic.twitter.com/DmEJDO86Nn
— Manchester City (@ManCityES) January 7, 2023
Prediction
Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea
Manchester City are quite fearsome on their home turf, and Chelsea’s mounting injury problems should be a big boon for them. Their superior squad depth has been a catalyst in their recent success, and Chelsea will unlikely have answers to their problems so soon.
