Chelsea vs Manchester City. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more

Chelsea FC will host Manchester City FC in the English Premier League 19th-tour match at the Stamford Bridge Stadium. The fixture will take place on Friday, January 6, beginning at 01:30 IST.

The 19th round of the English Premier League is already underway with half of the games having been already played. The tensions in the upper third continue and the competition is really high. Although there are clear leaders at the moment, things are always changing from one tour to another. Now, we are in for a top match between grands of European football – Chelsea and Man City. There is a chance that the latter could make another slip-up in a crucial away game – and that will be considered a real curiosity. 

The Aristocrats are in a miserable situation at the moment and are eager to break the deadlock in such a big outing. The Citizens, in turn, look to close the gap to the leading Arsenal, which recently lost 2 points in the clash against 3rd-placed Newcastle United.

What can we expect this Friday night, what are the inputs and situations in the camps of the opponents? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

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Chelsea News & Current Form: 

The Blues are 10th in the English league table with only 25 points after 16 games. The Londoners under Graham Potter are still getting used to his demands and tactics. So far, things are looking very obscure. Because of the volatility in the club, Chelsea is in danger of not qualifying for the UEFA Champions League at the end of the season.

The club’s performance in the autumn was certainly disappointing, if not utterly unsatisfactory. It seems to have improved since the arrival of the new mentor from Brighton and Hove Albion, Potter. But while in the UCL they managed to meet the target of making the play-offs, in the EPL, Chelsea went into the break on the back of a winless streak, also having been knocked out of the League Cup at the same time. Fortunately, they were able to start after Christmas with a 2:0 win against Bournemouth, with Kai Havertz scoring both goals. But at the same time, this triumph was overshadowed by the loss of Reece James, who had just returned from the team’s sickbay.

Moreover, the next clash has brought another frustrating setback – 1-1 against the rookie outsider Nottingham Forest (19th place). 

The situation is so deplorable for many reasons, one of them of course being the incidence of player injuries. As of now, the Aristocrats have 5 players in the sickbay, 4 of whom are systemically important. The disappointing transfer policy from new owner Todd Boehly is worth pointing out. Take for example the Pensioners’ main transfer bid this season — Wesley Fofana. The 22-year-old was bought for a sensational €80.40m (overpayment of twice the market value), but has played just 488 minutes in the whole season so far. The player had very lax performances at Leicester City before the transfer and then suffered a long-term injury before he could find his feet in the new camp. Dramatic as can be. 

Now, the team urgently needs new faces who can improve the situation. Not surprisingly, the Blues are actively trying to sign newcomers – the transfer of central defender Benoit Badiashile from AS Monaco has already been made official. 

In addition to defending, the team’s attacking options need to be reinforced in some way as well. The Blues are actively trying to lure Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. Even the director of Shakhtar Darijo Srna will come to London to hold negotiations and watch the upcoming fixture.

The Chelsea management should not relax as Arsenal are also in the hunt for the young player, it could turn out as it did with Cody Gakpo. Manchester United was confident they had the transfer in their pocket when it turned out that a new contract had been signed with Liverpool.

The arrival of Graham Potter to replace Thomas Tuchel has not only failed to remedy the situation but has also added to the troubles. Plus, frequent injuries to leaders, the most notable of which is the absence of N’Golo Kante, have hampered their progress. The Frenchman, who has played a big part in the Blues’ victories, has played just two games this season. And now it is being reported that he will leave the team in the summer – that’s when his contract with the club expires, and the media say Barcelona are the main contenders for him.

Most likely, Enzo Fernandes, the best young player at the last World Cup in Qatar, will replace the Frenchman. The 21-year-old was recognized as the tournament’s leading midfielder for team Argentina, although he started the World Cup on the bench and entered the starting line-up only in the course of the victorious campaign. Enzo scored one goal and one assist in seven matches at the tournament. 

Enzo is expected to add to the team’s midfield and act as a link between defense and attack. According to media reports, the Blues will pay €127m for him. However, the deal seems a bit difficult at the moment.

“Understand there’s NO agreement after a new meeting today between Chelsea and Benfica for Enzo Fernández. It was never a done deal, it’s not a done deal as of now.  After meetings and talks, there’s still no agreement on key details, on clause and payment terms.”

reports Fabrizio Romano.

So, in the game against the Sky Blues, the Pensioners will have to cope with their existing resources. What raises concerns is the last match against the Foresters, the EPL outsider that And with the team unable to beat even Nottingham, it will be hard to expect a win.

Manchester City News & Current Form:

Manchester City is the title contender in the EPL every year, competing against one rival most of the time. This season is turning out to be something akin to a sensation — the Sky Blue’s main challenger for this campaign is Arsenal. City is now eight points behind in the table, with a game to spare.

The team remains at Arsenal’s back – it is the price of the fact that, in the opening period, they did not always seem to be able to demonstrate the necessary concentration. As a result, by November the Citizens had lost a mass of points to the Gunners. So it is unlikely that Pep Guardiola needs to get his players in a particular mood now – they already know that half the distance in the EPL has been covered, and the competition is in no hurry to deflate. 

City is looking great after the break. First they finally beat Liverpool in the League Cup. Then there was a solid away win over Leeds (3:1). But when it was least expected, they managed to finish 1:1 with Everton, scoring first.

And the leader of Guardiola’s team remains Erling Haaland, who has scored 21 goals in the season. He will be Chelsea’s executioner, who could not hold off the less top-flight forwards either.

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has admitted he intends to move to another team in the coming years.

“In June we will see which option is better. Right now my focus is on Manchester City. My contract will end the moment I’m 31. I won’t hide the fact that my goal in the coming years will probably be to move to another team.”

says the Portuguese.

Bernardo Silva became a Manchester City player in the summer of 2017. He has two goals and five assists in 24 games for the team this season. All of them were made in the English Championship. The current agreement between the parties runs until 2025.

Bernardo Silva said about Haaland:

“The thing about Erling is that he doesn’t care about touching the ball. He is one of those players that for example if you play me as a false nine or Phil Foden, after a game playing in that position it is not easy because you don’t touch the ball many times and you get frustrated because you need to touch the ball to feel a part of the game.”

“The good thing about Erling is that he is there and if he doesn’t touch the ball for 30 minutes, but he touches it once and he scores, he is happy and delighted. To have that kind of player who is so focused on just the end of the product is great because he knows what he is there for and he does it perfectly.”

“Just the hunger that he has to score more and more and more. You saw that he scored two [against Leeds] and he wasn’t happy because he could have scored more in that game.”

“It is just crazy because any other player if they scored two goals would be over the moon, but he was happy and not totally happy because he felt he could have scored more which shows how ambitious he is, how focused he is to help the team and to be better every day. I am very happy we have a player like that.”

Not only is the Norwegian worthy of praise, so is goalkeeper Ederson. The Brazilian goalkeeper became the first player in English Premier League history to score 150 wins in fewer than 200 games. He has played 197 games.

Chelsea form guide: L-L-L-L-W-D

Manchester City form guide: W-L-W-W-W-D

Chelsea vs Manchester City Head-To-Head Record: 

• April 17, 2021: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City (FA Cup);
• May 8, 2021: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester City (Premier League);
• May 29, 2021: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City (UEFA Champions League);
• September 25, 2021: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City (Premier League);
• January 15, 2022: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City (Premier League);
• November 9, 2022: Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City (League Cup).

Chelsea vs Manchester City Predicted XI:

Chelsea possible starting lineup (3-4-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Silva, Koulibaly, Cucurella; Kovacic, Zakaria; Sterling, Mount, Pulisic; Aubameyang.

Manchester City possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Akanji, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Silva, Haaland, Foden.

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Statistical preview of the match Chelsea vs Manchester City:

• Manchester City sits in 2nd place in the standings, while Chelsea is only 10th.
• Chelsea’s First XI average age is 28.6 yrs.
• City’s First XI average age is 28.7 yrs.
• Total value of City’s squad – $1.1 bln, while Chelsea’s – $865 mln.
• In the last 5 games Chelsea scored 3 goals, conceded 5 times.
• Raheem Sterling is Chelsea’s top scorer: he has scored 7 in 23 games.
• Chelsea are unbeaten in 9 of their last 10 matches at home.
• Chelsea have scored in 22 of the last 23 Premier League home games.
• Chelsea have conceded in 8 of the last 9 games.
• Chelsea have scored less than 1.5 goals in 6 of the last 7 Premier League games.
• In the last 5 games City scored 10 times, conceded 6 times.
• Manchester City scores the most in the tournament – 44 goals in 16 games. Haaland netted almost half of them – 21.
• Manchester City are unbeaten in 7 of their last 9 matches.
• Manchester City have not lost in 26 of the last 28 Premier League games.
• Manchester City have scored and conceded in 6 of the last 7 games.
• Manchester City have scored less than 2.5 goals in 4 of the last 5 away games.

What has been said before the match:

Coach Guardiola commented on disappointing match with Everton:

“We lost two points. We played to win the match but that’s football. They stay in their own penalty area all the time and it’s difficult because of that, but that’s the way we play. Everyone positioned themselves very well.”

“We had chances in the last minute, in the first half and in the second half. I couldn’t expect there to be a billion opportunities when the opponent plays like that, but we played well, I’m quite satisfied. We lacked a second goal.”

“The referees break the rhythm, but overall we did everything. This is the Premier League. It’s a rival strategy and if the referee doesn’t interfere, I can’t influence the referee. It will be difficult, but we have played very well since returning from the World Cup.”

Swiss midfielder Denis Zakaria commented on the upcoming match:

“Yes, it was a tough game against Nottingham. But we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We played a draw and it’s not the best result for us, but we have to work and be ready for Manchester City.”

“We just have to work as a team and things will get better. It’s hard to say why exactly we’re not getting a lot of things right.”

“It’s always very, very difficult against City, so we will have to play well and take all our chances. We will need to show a great game and if we don’t show it against Manchester City, it will be difficult for us to win.”

Coach Graham Potter said:

‘I’m the head coach so my responsibility is to the players that are here and then we’ll try to improve in every window. January is a complicated one because it’s the middle of the season and in the meantime we have to deal with all the noise of Chelsea being linked with everybody.”

“I won’t comment on anyone who isn’t a Chelsea player but always my job is to help the players that are here and then support the club in terms of decisions they make in trying to improve.”

“We have to play well ourselves, that’s the key,’ he added. You have to understand the quality that they have and try to stop it, which sounds simple when I articulate it now but obviously in reality it’s not so straightforward.”

“They’re a top team but we can cause them a problem. We can be ourselves, try to play well and put them under pressure. We need to use Stamford Bridge and then see what happens.”

Chelsea vs Manchester City Prediction:

Chelsea are in a state of flux: although they managed to break their winless streak with a victory over Bournemouth, a draw against Nottingham spoiled everything. The Londoners are boring, ineffective and lacking ideas. To contrast — Pep Guardiola with the EPL’s most prolific forward. Erling Haaland has been so eager to get back into the action that he is now scoring in every game since the World Cup ended. The Blues have struggled against the worst teams and forwards in the league, they probably couldn’t handle the league’s best striker, especially considering the staffing problems.

Still, let’s not forget that Chelsea do quite well at Stamford Bridge and rarely lose. The Blues could put up a good fight, but the Citizens will be too charged and hungry to win looking at the 8-point gap to the side of Mikel Arteta. Both the general inputs and their recent head-to-head history suggest that we shouldn’t expect to be seeing a lot of goals in this encounter. Most likely, the visitors will be able to break the resistance of the Londoners and snatch a minimum victory in a close fight.

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Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Manchester City to win and the match total to be less than 3.5 – Yes.