Chelsea and Manchester City will meet this Saturday in the Premier League competition, and that means when they clash in Istanbul later this month it will marke the third time the two English giants have met, in three different competitions, in a span of just six weeks. On Tuesday night, Man City eliminated PSG and advanced to the tournament final.
Last night saw Chelsea FC become the first club to send both their men’s and women’s teams to the UCL final in the same season, as the men ousted 13 time European Cup/Champions League winners Real Madrid.
Chelsea vs Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday May 8, 5:30pm, City of Manchester Stadium
Team News: Chelsea Manchester City
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea Manchester City
TV/Stream: NBC/NBCSports.com
Premier League Position: Chelsea 4th, 61 pts Manchester City 1st, 80 pts
Premier League Form Guide: Chelsea WWDWL Manchester City WWDWW
Series History: Manchester City wins 59 Chelsea wins 69 Draws 39
Chelsea FC Team News
Thomas Tuchel has a nearly fully fit squad here. The only fitness concern is midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who remains out with a hamstring injury. There are no worries in regards to suspensions either. City can clinch the Premier League title with a win while Chelsea need to keep getting as many points as possible during the run in so that they can hold on to the fourth and final Champions League slot.
Expect both sides to approach this match at full bore.
Prediction: Man City 1, Chelsea 0
The Cityzens won the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge 3-1 (and it was uglier than that scoreline indicates), but that now feels like it was a very long time ago, and the Blues have certainly bridged the gap since then.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.