On Sky
Manchester City travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday on the back of three straight wins against last seasons Premier League winners. Can Roberto Mancini’s men make it four out of four?
Vital Quotes:
Carlo Ancelotti admits Chelsea’s clash with Manchester City this weekend wili prove decisive in its Premier League season.
”At the moment, our position is not so clear. After this game, it’ll be clear what we’re going to do in the Premier League.’
”They are very dangerous on the counter-attack, so we have to avoid this and maintain good balance on the pitch.’
Mancini is wary of predicting a repeat of last season’s 4-2 triumph in the corresponding fixture. But he hopes for the best anyway.
“I hope to win by the same score again but it will be very difficult,” he said. “At this moment, Chelsea are playing very well. They are in good form and they also had one day’s extra rest because they played in the Champions League on Wednesday.”
“But we want to try because it is an important game for us.”
Chelsea Team News:
Fernando Torres, David Luiz, Michael Essien and Florent Malouda are all likely to start. Sunday’s match comes to soon for Alex, who is on the brink of making his long-awaited comeback from a knee injury, while Yossi Benayoun (achilles) will also have to wait until after the international break to return.
Player to watch: Fernando Torres
A complete flop since joining the Blues from Liverpool. Neverthless, he’s a quality player hence its just a matter of time before he clicks into gear.
Manchester City Team News:
Mario Balotelli faces being dropped from the Italy squad as a punishment for his latest red card. A public apology is also unlikely to spare him from being dropped for Manchester City’s match at Chelsea on Sunday.
Player to watch: Adam Johnson
Adam has recovered from his ankle injury and is raring to go. He came on aganst Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday but was clearly not up-to-speed. Expect him to come out of the blocks like Linford used to do all those years ago.
Match Facts & Stats
The last time Chelsea picked up any points against City was way back on 15 March 2009 when Michael Essien scored the only goal of the game.
League meetings: Chelsea has won 53 times, City 42 while there has been 36 draws.
Ref Watch:
Chris Foy: The 48-year-old has officiated 27 matches in all competitions this season. He has shown the yellow card 57 times and issued the red once. He will be assisted by Darren Cann and John Flynn while the fourth official is Mike Dean.
Match Prediction:
Chelsea 1-1 Manchester City
Next Fixtures:
03/04/11: Barclays Premier League – Sunderland (H) 4pm kick-off.