Manchester City host Chelsea in what is the weekend’s only all top four battle. It’s also a match with huge Premier League title implications as City are now ahead of Liverpool at the top of the table via goal differential; although the Reds still have a game in hand.
Once seven points adrift of the league lead, and Liverpool playing like world beaters at the time, City thought then that their league title defense could essentially be over.
“We were very disappointed, more than anyone else,” Bernando Silva said in a very revealing interview with The Guardian. “The players, the staff, we were all very sad because we all thought we had lost the league in that game.”
Then the trajectory of the title race turned in the favor of the reigning champions.
“Fortunately Liverpool drew against Leicester and that gave us a little bit of hope. Then there was another draw against West Ham and that means the race is on. Mentally, it is a big boost for us. We will try to keep doing our job and don’t relax as we did against Newcastle.”
Let’s take a look who could be in the first team for this blockbuster fixture.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction vs Chelsea FC
Forwards: Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling
Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, David Silva
Defenders: Danilo Aymeric Laporte John Stones Kyle Walker
Goalkeeper: Ederson
Manchester City vs Chelsea FC FYIs
Kick-off: Sunday February 10, City of Manchester Stadium, 4pm (BST), 11am (EST)
Form Guide:
Chelsea FC W L W W L W L Manchester City W W L W W W W
Odds via Bet365: Manchester City 4/9, Draw 7/2, Chelsea FC 11/2
Injury report for both sides: go to this link
Google Result Probability: Manchester City win 64%, Draw 21%, Chelsea FC win 15%
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea FC
Prediction: Manchester City 3, Chelsea FC 1
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.