The final international break of 2019 is over, and weekend has a tasty contest in store for us. The Champions- Manchester City will lock horns with Frank Lampard’s “youthful” Chelsea.
When : Manchester City V/S Chelsea, 23rd November 2019, Saturday at 11:00 PM IST
Where : Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Match Referee : Martin Atkinson
Quick Facts:
- Chelsea’s heaviest defeat (0-6) in Premier League history came in the corresponding fixture last season.
- Sergio Aguero has scored more goals (10) against Chelsea than any other player in the competition.
Head to Head : Played 44, Chelsea 25, Man City 12, Drawn 7
Team Preview- Manchester City
The Champions go into Saturday’s clash a point and a place behind their counterparts. Pep Guardiola’s men will be looking to bounce back from rather an unfortunate defeat at the hands of “would be” champions, a fortnight back. The Citizens will be boosted by returns of Ederson and David Silva, who both missed the game at Anfield. However, David’s namesake- Bernardo is suspended for this game.
Despite an inconsistent start to the season, Manchester City do head into the game as firm favorites and will be hoping to stay in the title race, just about. Furthermore, last season’s 6-0 hammering they gave to the “Blues” will give them more belief that they can come out on top on Saturday.
Team Preview- Chelsea
After a pretty torrid first month of the season, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have been in sizzling form off late. They are on a 6 game winning streak in the league, and are scoring goals aplenty in the process. Indeed, no team has scored more goals away from home than Chelsea (18). In all, the West Londoners have netted 27 goals, a number bettered only the other teams in the top 4.
Whilst Lampard’s men have no problems going forward, their defense is pretty poor to say the least. They have conceded 17 goals, which is the joint 6th worst tally in the league. Having said that, they have kept 3 clean sheets in their 6 games, and have only conceded 4 goals in the last 6 games, as opposed to 13 in the first 6.
The fact that Chelsea have been put it in a title-race is a tad flattering, however if they can pick up a positive result at the Etihad, it’ll be harsh not to call them genuine title contenders. So, can the youth prevail over the giant or will it be a reality check for this very promising, enterprising side?
Key Battles:
Sergio Aguero v/s Fikayo Tomori
Fikayo Tomori, right now is the best center-half in the league outside of Virgil Van Dijk, that says it all. But on Saturday, he’ll go toe-to-toe with the best forward in the Premier League, in Kun Aguero. The Argentinean has scored two hat-tricks in his career against Chelsea, including one last time these two sides met in the league. So, to suggest the fact that young Tomori has a hard task up his sleeve, is an understatement. But, the young Englishman did give Mo Salah a run for his money a couple of months back. Now, he’s more experienced and Chelsea’s defense has improved too, so you can’t rule out the defender coming out on top in this contest.
Raheem Sterling v/s Cesar Azpilicueta
Last season’s contest between these two teams produced performances of stark contrast from both Sterling and Azpilicueta. At Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea captain produced one of the best displays put in by a defender in the Premier League. The Spaniard also completed the joint most tackles (12) in a single game. Sterling wasn’t even given a sniff!
In contrast, the City winger caused all sorts of problems for Azpilicueta in the reverse fixture. Sterling was a constant menace and he also got himself a goal and won a penalty, ironically enough, after a foul by the Spaniard.
So who’ll come out of this game with flying colors? Your guess is as good as mine.
Did you know?
The last time Chelsea won at the Etihad Stadium, was in 2016. Chelsea were on a 7 game winning streak prior to that game. Can they extend their winning streak to 7 this time around??
Probable XIs
Man City ( 4-3-3)
Ederson, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Fernandinho, Benjamin Mendy, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gudogan, Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Aguero
Chelsea (4-3-3)
Kepa, Cesar Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori, Emerson, Jorginho, N’golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Willian, Tammy Abraham
Combined XI (4-3-3)
Ederson, Kyle Walker, Fikayo Tomori, Kurt Zouma, Emerson, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Willian, Tammy Abraham
AllAboutFPL Verdict
Prediction: Manchester City 3 Chelsea 2
This is a game which definitely has a lot of goals and entertainment in store for the fans. Both teams are excellent going forward and suspect at the back. It’ll be a tight contest, however, this game might have come a year too early for this young, vibrant Chelsea side. The Champions, we reckon will show their class and edge out as winners.
To know more about team news for this fixture, as well as for other games this week, click on the link: https://allaboutfpl.com/fpl-game-week-13-preview/
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K K Anirudh
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