Chelsea and Manchester City will be eager to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they clash at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Gameweek 32 of the 2025/26 Premier League season will continue on Sunday, which will feature four matches. The action on the day will start with three simultaneous ties before ending with Chelsea vs Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
The solid start to life under Liam Rosenior has become a distant memory for Chelsea, despite the 7-0 win over Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals. The West London club lost four successive games before the international break, leading to speculation surrounding Rosenior’s future. With the Blues falling to sixth in the Premier League standings, UEFA Champions League qualification will be critical to determine the English tactician’s future.
On the other hand, Manchester City may have turned a corner after two commanding displays in cup competitions, either side of the international break. Pep Guardiola’s men failed to win three consecutive matches before this run, but they have not conceded a goal in their last two outings. However, the Citizens need a stroke of luck to keep their faint Premier League title hopes alive, as they are nine points behind Arsenal ahead of Gameweek 32.
The reverse fixture saw Chelsea come from a goal down to hold Manchester City to a 1-1 draw, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the equaliser during injury time. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Liam Rosenior has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Chelsea head coach may be without seven first-team players vs Manchester City on Sunday.
Enzo Fernandez remains unavailable due to a two-match internal suspension after his comments during the international break. Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk continues his ban after failing a doping test over a year ago.
Meanwhile, Filip Jorgensen (groin), Levi Colwill (knee), Trevoh Chalobah (ankle), Reece James (hamstring), and Jamie Gittens (thigh) remain in the treatment room. However, Benoit Badiashile may be fit and available to take on Manchester City after recovering from an illness.
Robert Sanchez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Manchester City on Sunday. The backline will feature Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo in the double pivot. Cole Palmer will reprise the no. 10 role, with Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian being the two wide attackers. Finally, Joao Pedro will lead the line for Chelsea against Manchester City on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Adarabioyo, Cucurella; Santos, Caicedo; Estevao, Palmer, Neto; Pedro
Manchester City
Like his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Pep Guardiola has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Manchester City manager will be without three first-team players on Sunday.
Josko Gvardiol is the most notable absentee after suffering a tibial fracture to his right leg in the reverse fixture against Chelsea. The Croatian international accompanies Ruben Dias (thigh) and John Stones (calf) in the treatment room.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Manchester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Sunday. The backline will feature Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guehi, and Nico O’Reilly.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Rodri and Bernardo Silva in the double pivot, with the latter being the workhorse in the middle of the park. Rayan Cherki will pull the strings from the advanced areas, with Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku playing around him. Finally, Erling Haaland will spearhead the Manchester City attack against Chelsea on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Silva, Rodri; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland
Key Stats
- Chelsea are winless in their last nine Premier League games vs Manchester City (D3 L6) since a 2-1 away win in May 2021. The Citizens have won four of their five most recent away Premier League matches against Chelsea (D1), as many as they had in their previous 26 league visits to Stamford Bridge (D8 L14).
- Chelsea have lost their last two Premier League games, suffering a 0-1 defeat to Newcastle United and a 0-3 loss to Everton. The Blues most recently lost three successive Premier League matches in May 2023 (4), and last did so without scoring in March 1998 (4).
- Manchester City have drawn their last two Premier League games, despite scoring first each time (2-2 vs Nottingham Forest, 1-1 vs West Ham United). The Citizens have not scored first in three successive matches in the competition and have failed to win each since December 2003/January 2004 under Kevin Keegan.
- After winning their first four Premier League games under Liam Rosenior, Chelsea have since won just one of their subsequent six matches (D2 L3). Since the start of this period (February 10th, a 2-2 draw with Leeds United), only Leeds United (4) and Tottenham Hotspur (1) have fewer points in the competition than the Blues (5).
- Manchester City (51) and Chelsea (50) have produced more shots following high turnovers than any other sides in the Premier League this season. In the reverse fixture between these two sides in January, Manchester City recorded 24 high turnovers against the Blues, the most by any side in a single Premier League match this season.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
While Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, and Antoine Semenyo were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Erling Haaland as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
After scoring 19 goals in 17 Premier League appearances before Christmas this season, Haaland has since managed just three strikes in the subsequent 12 outings for Manchester City, two of which have been penalties. Before Christmas, he was averaging 0.89 non-penalty expected goals per 90 in the 2025/26 Premier League; since then, this tally has dropped to 0.32.
However, after the match-winning hat-trick against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final last week, Haaland may be back to his best. So, it is hardly surprising that the Norwegian international is a captaincy candidate in FPL for Gameweek 32.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-2 Manchester City
Chelsea and Manchester City showed in the FA Cup quarter-finals last week that all is not lost in their respective camps. However, the Citizens have been more convincing of their ability to mount a comeback and enjoy a successful end to the 2025/26 season.
Nevertheless, as Chelsea showed in the reverse fixture, they will take the game to Manchester City, even if the visitors dominate the proceedings. However, while the Blues will not go down without a fight, City will have enough quality to eke out a narrow win and keep the faint title hopes alive. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.
