Manchester City vs Chelsea
England – Premier League
Date: Saturday, 15 January 2022
Kick-off at 12:30 UK/ 13:30 CET
Venue: Etihad Stadium.
When Manchester City and Chelsea meet at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, the Premier League title race might take a new twist.
Gameweek 22 of the 2021/22 Premier League season begins this week with a match between Brighton and Crystal Palace on Friday.
On Saturday, the action begins with the first match of the day between Manchester City and Chelsea.
Manchester City, like last season, is running away with the Premier League at the turn of the year.
Only two gameweeks into the second half of the season, and the Citizens are already ten points ahead of second-placed Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola’s team has been on a roll recently, winning seven games in a row in all competitions.
Chelsea, on the other hand, has risen from the midst of the Premier League title competition to the forefront of the chase.
Blues have lost seven of their previous eleven Premier League games, turning a five-point lead over Manchester City into a ten-point deficit.
Thomas Tuchel’s side, on the other hand, will be encouraged by their most recent result, a 1-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur that earned them a place in the Carabao Cup final.
Manchester City eked off a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge in September, with Chelsea putting in a lackluster display.
The Hard Tackle examines the matchup before of the most recent meeting between the two teams.
Manchester City vs Chelsea Head to head :
- Three of the past four clashes had just one goal apiece.
- The last ten overall wins were evenly split into five each for either squad.
- In the last 13 visits to this stadium, only twice have the Blues have scored more than one goal.
- The latest match-up at this venue had ended in a 1-2 win for the guests.
Manchester City vs Chelsea Prediction :
The game on Saturday could be a closely contested match with little tolerance for mistake.
The two teams have the Premier League’s two most strong defensive groups, so clear-cut chances will be few and far between.
If such were the case, the winner would be the squad that could finish off the opportunities the most efficiently.
Bernardo Silva, as he has done so many times this season, might rise to the situation and convert a pass that will definitively tip the scales in Manchester City’s favor.
The Hard Tackle forecasts a 1-0 victory for the hosts, giving them a 13-point lead over Chelsea.
Manchester City vs Chelsea Team News :
Before the Swindon triumph, Man City’s COVID-19 outbreak forced seven first-team players – including Guardiola – into isolation, and it’s unclear how many of the nameless group will be able to return.
Two players are thought to be affected: Phil Foden and Oleksandr Zinchenko, while John Stones is near to returning from a knock and Riyad Mahrez is still with Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.
If Zack Steffen is not among the COVID-affected group, Ederson will prepare to steal the gloves back from him, while Aymeric Laporte will replace Nathan Ake if Stones is ruled out once more.
Tuchel has no new injury concerns for Chelsea’s top-of-the-table encounter, but Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, and AFCON representative Edouard Mendy are all out, while Andreas Christensen has been diagnosed with coronavirus.
Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante both came off the bench against Spurs after recovering from COVID-19 infections and might start at the Etihad, but it will be difficult for the latter to replace Mateo Kovacic or Jorginho.
In midweek, Malang Sarr looked comfortable in a left-hand side role and should start here with Christensen out, while Kai Havertz will compete for a place in the final third over Timo Werner.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; B. Silva, Jesus, Foden
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Kepa; T. Silva, Rudiger, Sarr; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Havertz; Lukaku
