Manchester City and Pep Guardiola head to London looking for their first win over Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea. After notching up a win in the EFL Cup, the reigning Premier League champions will feel confident about their chances.
Last season, Tuchel was able to get the better of his counterpart three times and this included the Champions League final. These two teams will have a say in the fate of the league title, so this match will have a big impact on each club’s season.
Chelsea vs Manchester City FYIs:
Kick-off time: 12:30 PM GMT, 25 September Saturday, Stamford Bridge
Premier League Watch Party/Book Signing: Come join The Sports Bank Founder, Paul M. Banks, at Fado in Chicago for the North London Derby on Sunday. He’ll be signing copies of his new book Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America.
Weekly Premier League Preview Podcast: go here
Starting XI Prediction: Chelsea Manchester City
Team News: Chelsea Manchester City
Form Guide (All Competitions): Chelsea (DWWWW) Manchester City (WWWDW)
There are some injury worries for the visitors and one of them is midfielder Ilkay Gundogan. The German is to be assessed ahead of Saturday and if he doesn’t emerge fit by kickoff time, that would be quite a blow for Guardiola.
As for the other players who could miss out on this game, Aymeric Laporte and John Stones are doubtful. This could see Nathan Ake get another start in the centre of defence. Another defender that could be unavailable is Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Despite all the players that could miss out here, the Manchester side should be able to bring a strong playing XI. Guardiola will need his defence to be wary of the speed and the intensity with which Chelsea can attack.
They have become stronger with the addition of Romelu Lukaku and that will worry the Spanish boss. For City to win, they need to focus on moving the ball quickly as that is the only way they can destabilise the hosts’ defence.
The onus of doing this will fall mainly on Kevin De Bruyne, but the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Jack Grealish will also have to contribute.
If Manchester City can get the win on Saturday, it would be a big boost for their season. Doing so will not be easy against a team that has beaten them three straight and is looking stronger than ever right now.
But Guardiola will be confident in the ability of his players to get the three points.