Chelsea and Manchester City will aim to kick off the 2024/25 season with a bang when they clash at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season has kicked off, with Manchester United beating Fulham 1-0 at Old Trafford on Friday night. Saturday will be an action-packed day before things ease up on Sunday. The action on Sunday will round up at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea will host reigning champions Manchester City.
2023/24 was another frustrating season for Chelsea fans as the West London club failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for a second successive campaign. However, the Blues showed promise under Mauricio Pochettino, making his departure inexplicable. Enzo Maresca has replaced Pochettino and endured a steep learning curve during the pre-season adventures, winning only one game in six outings.
As for Manchester City, they became the first Premier League club to win the title in four consecutive seasons. The Citizens will look to script history with another first this term, although they, like Chelsea, won only one pre-season game. Interestingly, the reigning champions beat their hosts in that solitary victory.
The corresponding fixture last season was a pulsating affair that ended in a 4-4 draw, with Chelsea and Manchester City trading blows throughout the ninety minutes. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Enzo Maresca does not have many pressing roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s first Premier League game of the 2024/25 season. Against Manchester City on Sunday, the Chelsea manager should be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
Reece James is the most notable absentee, with the Chelsea captain serving a three-match suspension and recovering from a hamstring injury. Djordje Petrovic and Omari Kellyman are the other players on the sidelines, while Conor Gallagher has played his final game for the West London club as he waits to complete his impending summer move to Atletico Madrid.
Robert Sanchez will start between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against Manchester City. The backline should feature Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella. As for the midfield unit, Romeo Lavia will finally overcome last season’s injury horror to start in the middle of the park alongside Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
So, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will be an option on the bench and wait for his Chelsea debut. Christopher Nkunku will likely get the nod over Nicolas Jackson to lead the line for the home side. Cole Palmer and the latest summer signing, Pedro Neto, will complete the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Sanchez; Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Lavia, Caicedo; Neto, Nkunku, Palmer
Manchester City
Like his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Pep Guardiola does not have many injury concerns to deal with ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Manchester City manager will be without two first-team players on Sunday.
Rodri is the most notable absentee, with Guardiola suggesting the Spanish international might not feature on Sunday. Meanwhile, Oscar Bobb has fractured his leg and will be unavailable for a few months. However, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Phil Foden are in contention to take on Chelsea.
Ederson Moraes is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Chelsea. The backline should feature Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol.
As for the midfield unit, Rodri’s absence means Bernardo Silva might reprise a deeper role, with Mateo Kovacic lining up alongside him in the double pivot. Kevin De Bruyne will be the creative supremo for Manchester City against his former club, while Savinho, Jeremy Doku, and Erling Haaland will complete the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Bernardo Silva, Kovacic; Savinho, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland
Key Stats
- Chelsea are winless in nine meetings with Manchester City in all competitions since the 1-0 victory in the UEFA Champions League final in 2021 (D2 L7). The Citizens have won three times and drawn once in their last four visits to Stamford Bridge.
- Chelsea have earned 35 points in 2024. Only Manchester City (51), Arsenal (49), and Liverpool (40) have acquired more in the Premier League.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in 23 Premier League games since a 1-0 defeat away to Aston Villa in December.
- Chelsea have lost only two opening-day fixtures at Stamford Bridge (W12, D5), with the most recent defeat coming against Burnley in 2017. On the other hand, Manchester City have won 12 of their last 13 opening-day games, the exception being a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the 2021/22 season.
- Cole Palmer had the most goal involvements in the Premier League last season with 22 strikes and 11 assists.
Player to Watch
Christopher Nkunku
Christopher Nkunku endured a debut season from hell after struggling with fitness issues throughout the 2023/24 campaign. The Frenchman showed some promising signs in the final weeks of last term, and he was a standout performer for the Blues during their pre-season games.
With Nkunku likely to pip Nicolas Jackson to the central striker berth, he will be eager to finally kick-start his Chelsea stint, especially amid the West London club’s links with several strikers. With the creative duo of Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer playing alongside him in the final third, Nkunku should be in business.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-2 Manchester City
Neither club enjoyed a satisfactory pre-season campaign, even though results in those friendlies do not matter much. However, Enzo Maresca has a long way to go before he can transform Chelsea into a winning machine again, with Manchester City comfortable the better team in this weekend’s tie.
While the visitors have their issues and will be vulnerable due to Rodri’s absence, they have more than enough quality to beat Chelsea. The Hard Tackle predicts another engrossing affair between Chelsea and Manchester City, with the West London club’s win drought against the Citizens continuing. We are going with Pep Guardiola and his charges to clinch a 2-1 victory.