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Manchester City and Chelsea lock horns in the battle of the blues this week, both looking to bounce back after dropping points in the last round of Premier League fixtures.
City were held to a 0-0 draw at Sunderland, losing ground on Arsenal, who sit at the top of the league. Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw away at Bournemouth and have since lost their manager.
Now the two teams meet, both needing a win to restore confidence in the team and the fans, that both can still challenge for the title.
Below we have all the information you need ahead of this tasty weekend fixture in the Premier League.
Manchester City v Chelsea key information
• Date: Sunday, January 4th
• Kick-off time: 17:30 GMT
• Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
• Referee: Michael Oliver
• VAR: Darren England
• TV channels: Sky Sports (UK)
• Odds: MCI (13/20) - DRAW (7/2) - CHE (7/2)
Man City team news
Pep Guardiola’s men slipped to four points off the leaders after the latest round of fixtures. Not only did they lose ground on Arsenal, but they also lost Savinho and Nico González to injuries against Sunderland.
Guardiola said that Savinho’s injury "doesn't look good” as the Brazilian hobbled off in the second half at the Stadium of Light. Nico Gonzales went off at halftime after he received treatment during the game. Rodri was his replacement, and with no news on the injury to Gonzales, we can expect Rodri to start against Chelsea.
Longer-term absentees remain with John Stones, Mateo Kovacic and Oscar Bobb all out. Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are away at AFCON.
Man City predicted lineup v Chelsea, (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Pep Guardiola
Donnarumma; O’Reilly, Gvardiol, Dias, Nunes; Rodri, Silva; Doku, Foden, Cherki; Haaland.
Chelsea team news
After a week of murmurings and rumours, it finally happened, and Enzo Maresca was relieved of his duties as manager of Chelsea. Maresca had been outspoken in recent weeks about troubles behind the scenes and, as an additional sub-plot, he reportedly left after telling the club about talks he had held with City about possibly replacing Guardiola when the Spaniard’s contract comes to an end. Now, Maresca watches the match on TV as U21’s boss Calum McFarlane takes caretaker charge.
Turning attention to the pitch, Chelsea’s most notable absentee from the Bournemouth draw was Marc Cucurella. The defender is back in training and could feature on the weekend, but it will be a late call. Moises Caicedo will miss the tie as he is suspended for an accumulation of yellows.
Another minor subplot will always be Cole Palmer returning to the club he never really wanted to leave. He has made himself a bigger star since changing to a darker shade of blue, but has not scored or assisted against his hometown club since the first time he played against them. No doubt, he will want to prove his worth to his old employers on Sunday.
Chelsea predicted lineup v Man City, (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Calum McFarlane (caretaker)
Sánchez; Cucurella, Fofana, Chalobah, James; Fernández, Santos; Garnacho, Palmer, Neto; Delap.
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
In the United Kingdom, the Premier League match between Man City and Chelsea will be shown live on Sky Sports. You will need a subscription to the provider and then can watch on your TV, Console or on the Sky Go app.
Head-to-Head record
Man City are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games against Chelsea (W6 D2), their joint-longest run without defeat against the Blues in their league history (also eight between 1936 and 1949). In all competitions, City are unbeaten against Chelsea in the last 12 games, since they lost the Champions League final in 2021.
Against Sunderland was the first time in nine games that City did not win. In the same period of nine games, Chelsea only have two wins (4D, 3L). The teams are separated by three places in the table, yet that gap is 11 points, which makes it seem bigger than the places indicate.
Odds for Man City v Chelsea
Man City are favourites to win at bet365, coming in at 13/20. Chelsea are at 7/2, the exact same odds for a draw.
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change.