Chelsea welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge on Sunday in the Premier League’s Matchday 32 biggest match-up.
The Blues lost 3-0 at Everton last time out, while City drew 1-1 at West Ham United.
Match preview
Chelsea’s hopes of Champions League qualification have received a boost, with a fifth-place finish now enough to secure qualification.
However, they could be four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool before this clash, making victory crucial.
Chelsea have picked up just five points from their last six games, the third fewest in the Premier League during that period.
Their form against City is more concerning, with just one win in their last 10 meetings (D3, L6).
Chelsea must isolate City’s full-backs to expose their defensive frailties. They must also be cautious while pressing to stay compact defensively.
City are riding high on confidence after winning the League Cup and dumping Liverpool out of the FA Cup. They need to build on that momentum to keep their league title hopes alive.
However, City’s form and recent record against Chelsea make them favourites for this clash.
City have collected 14 points from their last six fixtures – the same as leaders Arsenal. They are also unbeaten in their last four league away games.
They will dominate possession and look to draw out Chelsea’s press, exploiting the space by playing between the lines and through their wingers’ trickery.
Erling Braut Haaland’s performance could be key for the Cityzens. He scored a hat-trick against Liverpool and has two bagged goals in his last three games against the Blues.
Team news
Rosenior has confirmed that Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill and Reece James will be absent for this clash. Enzo Fernandez remains on club suspension despite apologising for ‘crossing a line‘.
City will be without Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias, while John Stones is doubtful.
Predicted line-ups
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato, Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Estevao, Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro.
Man City (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, Marc Guehi, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico O’Reilly, Jeremy Doku, Rodri, Antoine Semenyo, Bernardo Silva, Rayan Cherki, Erling Braut Haaland.
Prediction
We predict a 2-2 draw.
Stats from transfermarkt.com & whoscored.com.
