Manchester City are back at the Etihad as they get ready to host Chelsea on Saturday. In this domestic fixture that will serve as a preview of the Champions League final, who are the players that might be missing out for the home side?
This is City’s first ever trip to the UCL final and they have an opportunity to take a historical week and make it even better. If the hosts grab the three points here, it secures the Premier League title on a mathematical basis. It would be a great achievement after the disappointment of last season.
Manchester City vs Chelsea FYIs
Kick-off time: 5:30 PM GMT, 8 May Saturday
Starting XI Prediction: Manchester City Chelsea
Team News: Manchester City Chelsea
Form Guide Premier League: Manchester City (WWLWW) Chelsea (LWDWW)
The one player who won’t be available for certain in this game is John Stones. With the Englishman suspended for this fixture, Guardiola will have to change his centre-back pairing with Frenchman Aymeric Laporte being the most likely candidate to come in.
There are no further injuries or suspensions for City, but we can expect to see some rotation from Tuesday. Some players, such as Fernandinho, will be given a rest following an intense game vs PSG.
Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel are proving to be a very tough team and beating them will not be easy. When these two teams met in the FA Cup semi-final, the Blues were able to curb the City attack.
They will look to do that again, but the Cityzens need to come up with an answer. That could come in the form of Sergio Aguero, who enjoys playing against the Blues.
With changes expected to the starting eleven, other members of the squad will have to show the quality that they possess.
The hosts had an extra day of rest when compared to Chelsea and this freshness could come in handy. With the league title to be won, City will play with an extra sharpness in attack.
Manchester City are on course to complete a treble this season and the only team standing in front of them will be in town this week. Even if City don’t win on Saturday, they can still win the title with a Manchester United loss, but they would like to clinch against the Blues. This would send a message that the FA Cup semi-final was just a one-off game.
Guardiola and company should be enjoying another trophy at the end of the 90 minutes.