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Manchester City vs Chelsea match preview
When Manchester City cruised past Chelsea 2-0 on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, the visitors seemed the serenely brilliant force who won last season’s title, while Enzo Maresca appeared to have an arduous path to tread in pursuit of reviving the Blues.
Fast-forward less than six months and Chelsea have had a significantly more uplifting campaign so far than the struggling Cityzens, although the hosts will only be two points behind their fourth-placed opponents at kick-off at Etihad Stadium.
City have been in better form since Christmas, earning 11 points from a five-game unbeaten league run, while Chelsea have taken five and ended a five-game winless league run with a 3-1 home victory over Wolves on Monday.
The pressure has intensified again for City manager Pep Guardiola, whose side are guaranteed to go out of the Champions League if they fail to win at home to Club Brugge on Wednesday (8pm GMT).
“This week is really important and the next two games are finals for us,” said the Spaniard, having overseen a 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain last Wednesday despite City being 2-0 ahead after 55 minutes.
Chelsea looked like title contenders before a slump that included defeats to Fulham and Ipswich Town and a draw snatched from the jaws of defeat through Reece James’ last-gasp free-kick at home to Bournemouth.
They are now four points behind Arsenal and Nottingham Forest and 10 shy of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Appointed by Chelsea in June, Maresca won the Premier League 2 title with City’s Elite Development Squad coach in 2020/21 under Guardiola, briefly leaving for Parma before returning to win a treble as one of City’s assistants in 2022/23.
“I don’t think there’s a good moment to play City,” said Maresca. “With this club and these players, when they are in a difficult moment, it is when they want to show how good they are.
“It is normal is to live moments like they are living in this moment. But they will be back soon, I have no doubt.”
Man City vs Chelsea team news
Defender Nathan Ake and winger Jeremy Doku missed City’s trip to Paris, while centre-back Ruben Dias had to be replaced at half-time.
Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, as no City fan will need reminding, is out for the rest of the season, and winger Oscar Bobb is a long-term absentee.
Guardiola does, however, have new signings to potentially pick, including central defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.
Omar Marmoush has arrived for £59 million from Eintracht Frankfurt, where he provided 15 goals and 10 assists in 17 Bundesliga appearances this season.
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“He’s a future player for years, with quality in the final third,” Guardiola said of the Egypt forward, describing Marmoush as offering “exceptional quality”.
Maresca said midfielder Enzo Fernandez and defender Levi Colwill “could be ready” to return after missing the win over Wolves with minor issues.
Top scorer Cole Palmer had been a doubt for that game with an ankle injury but featured for 84 minutes. “He made an unbelievable effort to play and he is getting better,” added Maresca.
Belgium midfielder Romeo Lavia will be out for “a few weeks more” with a muscle injury he sustained against Bournemouth on January 14.
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Wesley Fofana could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, and fellow centre-back Benoit Badiashile will not return from a thigh issue until next month.
Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall remains out through injury, and Mykhailo Mudryk’s failed drugs test remains under investigation by The Football Association, precluding the winger from appearing.
Manchester City vs Chelsea expected line-ups
Man City: Ortega; Nunes, Akanji, Khusanov, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Silva; Foden, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland
Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
How to watch Man City vs Chelsea: Live stream, TV channel
Kick-off is at 17:30 UK time, with live coverage on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra commencing at 17:00.
Manchester City vs Chelsea stats
- In 12 of the last 14 Manchester City home matches in the Premier League, the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In 10 of the last 12 Manchester City home matches the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In the last 4 Manchester City matches the sum of goals was over 3.5
- In 7 of the last 9 Manchester City matches in the Premier League, the sum of goals was over 2.5
- Manchester City have won 3 of the last 4 matches and the sum of goals was over 4.5
- In 8 of the last 10 Chelsea away matches in the Premier League, the sum of goals was under 3.5
- In the last 3 Chelsea matches the sum of goals was over 3.5
- In the last 3 Chelsea away matches the sum of goals was under 2.5
- In the last 3 Chelsea matches the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In the last 3 Chelsea away matches in the Premier League, the sum of goals was under 2.5
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Man City vs Chelsea prediction
Only Liverpool have bettered Chelsea’s tally of 44 league goals this season, while eight teams have a stronger defensive record than City, who have kept two clean sheets in 12 home Premier League matches in 2024/25.
Those figures aside, the hosts’ defensive fragility was glaringly evident in their capitulation at the Parc des Princes, with their depleted defensive ranks worsening the problem.
Chelsea have scored one goal and taken one point from their last three away games, but their overall figures would make it a surprise if they failed to score here, although their 10-game winless run in the fixture in all competitions, dating to the 2021 Champions League final, suggests a positive result is less likely.
They have also had struggles at the back, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s mistake against Wolves ensuring they have conceded in 10 of their last 12 games, with the exceptions coming against fourth-tier Morecambe and an Everton side noted for their lack of threat.
The prolific Palmer’s full fitness could be crucial, not least because the England international may feel he has a point to make against the club he joined Chelsea from in September 2023 because of a lack of game time under Guardiola.
Maresca, too, might urge Chelsea to prove their progress since losing the meeting in August, and City look susceptible against the sides around them.
Their current five-match unbeaten league run has come against opponents placed lower than 10th. Since beating Chelsea, they have lost four and won two of their eight encounters with teams currently in the top half.
Chelsea have collected the third-most away points in the Premier League, but five of their six wins on the road have come at teams currently placed 14th or lower.
With both teams in unconvincing form and City scoring at least twice in each of their last six games, we’ll predict a 2-2 draw.
