Manchester City will take a jaunt south to the capital when they clash with underperforming Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow evening as Pep Guardiola’s men come to terms with an unfamiliar reality during the 2022-23 Premier League season, with City becoming the hunter rather than the hunted.
On the back of a frustrating 1-1 draw with Everton, the reigning league champions sit seven points adrift of table-topping Arsenal as former club assistant Mikel Arteta presides over a footballing renaissance in north London at the head of a young Gunners outfit that has proven to be the talk of the town during a league campaign that has not been business as usual for City after the addition of Erling Haaland into their ranks during the summer transfer window.
City was as dominant as ever against the Toffees when the two locked horns at the Etihad three days ago but were unable to craft said dominance into the expected three-point haul in a match where Haaland probably was lucky to not have seen red. A test against Chelsea, who have begun the league restart with four points from a possible six, could shape the league landscape over the coming months should Guardiola’s men stumble on their travels.
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Predicted Manchester City XI
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- Rúben Dias (out)
- Aymeric Laporte (doubt)
Pep Guardiola is sure to be without Portuguese center-back Rúben Dias after the key man suffered a hamstring injury due to his involvement in the World Cup and remains without an official timetable for his return. The city manager is also likely to be without Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte who is listed as a doubt for the clash with Chelsea and is not expected to feature currently but will face a late assessment of his back injury.
Finally, World Cup winner Julián Álvarez could see his way back into the matchday squad as he is welcomed back into the fold but is not expected to feature in Guardiola’s XI at Stamford Bridge.
