Manchester City will take on Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, hoping to secure the league title with a victory at home.
Manchester City are one win away from the Premier League title and they will be favourites to pick up all three points when they take on Chelsea. The home side are currently in rampant form, and they have picked up six wins in a row.
On the other hand, Chelsea are 11th in the league table, and they have failed to win five of their last six league matches. The Blues have lost four of their last six top-flight games. So this will be a tricky away encounter for them.
The last time these two sides met in the Premier League Manchester City picked a narrow win away at Stamford Bridge. And they will be hoping to complete the league double over Chelsea here. The two sides met each other in the FA Cup back in January as well, with Manchester City picking up a thumping 4-0 win.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea can pull off an upset at the Etihad Stadium and delay Manchester City’s title party for another week. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Manchester City do not have any notable injury concerns ahead of this game. So Pep Guardiola will be able to field his strongest lineup here. Ederson is likely to start in goal, with Manchester City starting in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
John Stones and Manuel Akanji are likely to be deployed as the full-backs here. Ruben Dias will start at the heart of the defence along with Aymeric Laporte. And the formation will evolve into a 3-2-4-1, with Stones moving into the midfield.
In the midfield, Rodri will be the defensive midfielder, and he will look to win the ball back for his side. Ilkay Gundogan, whose future remains uncertain, is set to start alongside him. And the German international will look to dictate the tempo of the game. Gundogan will also charge forward into the final third when the formation changes subtly.
Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden will be deployed as the wingers, and the two players will look to add creativity and flair to the side. Kevin De Bruyne will be the central attacking midfielder here behind Erling Haaland.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Stones, Dias, Laporte, Akanji; Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland
Chelsea
Chelsea have a number of injury issues to deal with ahead of the trip to the Etihad. Reece James, Mason Mount, Armando Broja, Marc Cucurella, Ben Chilwell and N’Golo Kante are all injured and will miss out on Sunday.
Chelsea are likely to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal. Trevoh Chalobah and Lewis Hall will be the full-backs here. Thiago Silva will start in the central defensive pairing along with Benoit Badiashile.
In the midfield three, Enzo Fernandez will start alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher. Finally, Noni Madueke and Raheem Sterling will start in the wide areas, with Joao Felix leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Badiashile, Hall; Loftus-Cheek, Fernandez, Gallagher; Madueke, Felix, Sterling
Key Stats
- Manchester City have won their last three Premier League games against Chelsea, all by a 1-0 scoreline. They have never won four in a row against the Blues in their league history. The Citizens have won all three of their meetings with Chelsea in all competitions this season. The only side to beat the Blues four times in a single campaign are Manchester United, who did so in 2010/11.
- Manchester City have won their final home league game in eight of the last nine seasons, the exception being a 2-2 draw with Arsenal in 2015/16. Their last such defeat came against Norwich City in 2012/13.
- Since the start of last season, Chelsea have won none of their 14 Premier League games against sides starting the day above them in the table (D4 L10), losing each of their last three.
- Manchester City have scored 59 home Premier League goals this season. On only three previous occasions has a side netted 60+ in a campaign: Chelsea in 2009/10 (68) and Manchester City in both 2013/14 (63) and 2017/18 (61).
- Riyad Mahrez has scored four goals in Manchester City’s three games against Chelsea in all competitions this season, opening the scoring in each match. The last Manchester City player to score in four games against an opponent in a single season was Dennis Tueart against Norwich City in 1975/76.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
Haaland has been in phenomenal form this season, scoring 36 league goals so far. He will look to add to his tally on Sunday. The Norwegian striker has seven goals in his last ten outings, and he will look to punish a vulnerable Chelsea defence here. After being awfully quiet in the last few weeks, Haaland will be eager to end the season on a high.
Prediction
Manchester City 3-0 Chelsea
Manchester City will be firm favourites to pick up all three points here. They have the form and momentum on their side, and Chelsea will struggle to contain them away from home.
The visitors are in poor form, and this game will be an uphill challenge for them. The home side should be able to pick up a comfortable win. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for Manchester City.