Man City vs Chelsea preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Manchester City welcome Chelsea to the Etihad on Premier League matchweek 23 as both teams will look to achieve victory to boost their top-four chances.

At the beginning of the season, the thought of City finishing outside the top four seemed far-fetched. Any scenario where this might occur was expected to be tied to off-field issues such as point deductions or demotions. On the pitch, they have struggled, but they now sit just two points shy of the top four, leaving many still confident they can secure a place as the season progresses.

The reigning champions endured a painful eight-match winless streak away from home, losing seven of those fixtures. However, their victory at King Power Stadium marked only their third win in 15 games across all competitions, elevating Pep Guardiola’s side back into the Premier League’s top six.

Despite this, Guardiola has ruled out the possibility of an extraordinary title resurgence, with City also needing to fight hard to secure a Champions League spot for the 2025-26 campaign. Historically, though, the New Year often signals a return to form for City, making Saturday’s hosts favourites for three points.

Their recent 4-1 triumph over West Ham saw City achieve consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since October. However, even with that result, they remain far off the pace in the title race, with league leaders Liverpool maintaining an 11-point gap and having two games in hand.

City’s display against West Ham, while effective, was far from flawless. Pep Guardiola has emphasized that the reigning champions—still positioned sixth in the table and two points adrift of the Champions League places—are “absolutely not” back to their best yet.

They now gear up to face a Chelsea side that has gone hot and cold this season and will hope to extend their unbeaten run against the Blues to ten games across all competitions.

Enzo Maresca’s side concluded the year on a disappointing note, going three matches without a win and losing their last two against Ipswich Town and Fulham. These defeats equalled the total losses Chelsea had endured in their previous 23 Premier League matches combined, causing them to drop to fourth in the table.

Chelsea last experienced a longer streak of consecutive Premier League losses in April and May 2023 during Frank Lampard’s second tenure, when they suffered four defeats in a row. Closing the current 10-point gap on leaders Liverpool appears an uphill task, especially with tough fixtures against a resurgent Bournemouth and a determined Wolverhampton Wanderers side before their challenging visit to the Etihad to face Manchester City.

Maresca has consistently downplayed Chelsea’s title aspirations, claiming for weeks that his squad were not genuine contenders. His remarks may now appear more accurate, whether they were mind games or an honest assessment of his team’s capabilities.

Having enjoyed an impressive run of eight consecutive victories across all competitions between November 23 and December 19, Chelsea are now enduring a poor stretch. They have failed to secure a win in their last four outings, collecting just two points from a possible 12 during a dismal winter period.

Once a dominant attacking force, Chelsea are currently struggling in the final third. They have managed only two goals in their last 360 minutes of play, including Cole Palmer’s strike against Crystal Palace, which was nullified by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s equalizer in last weekend’s 1-1 London derby draw.

That draw left Chelsea 10 points adrift of league leaders Liverpool, who still have a game in hand. The Blues are also at risk of being overtaken by Newcastle United and City, as the fight for Champions League qualification intensifies in what promises to be a fiercely contested Premier League campaign.

Man City vs. Chelsea match details

• Date: Saturday, January 25th, 2025
• Location: Manchester, England
• Venue: Etihad Stadium
• Kick-off time: 05:30 PM GMT
• Tickets: Manchester City vs Chelsea tickets are expected to be sold out through the club exchanges but fans can still use reputable resellers such as Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head 

• Four of Savinho’s five assists in the Premier League this season have been for Erling Haaland, making them the joint-most contributions from one player to another in the league so far.

• Jadon Sancho’s assist for Cole Palmer against Crystal Palace marked his fourth in the league this season, surpassing his highest single-season total at Manchester United.

• Kevin De Bruyne marked his 400th appearance for Manchester City by providing his 165th assist for the club.

• Defensively, City have struggled, managing only two clean sheets in their last 14 matches across all competitions.

• Chelsea are winless in their last seven Premier League encounters with City (D2, L5), with their most recent triumph being a 2-1 win at the Etihad in 2021.

• Following their Champions League final defeat to Chelsea in May 2021, City have remained unbeaten in 10 consecutive matches against the Blues (W8, D2)—their longest undefeated run against Chelsea since a nine-game streak between 1936 and 1949.

• Chelsea have failed to secure a win in their last four Premier League matches (D2, L2), their longest winless streak within a season since May 2023, when they went seven games without victory.

• City are currently on a five-match scoring streak. The last time they failed to find the net was in their 2-0 Champions League loss away to Juventus.

Team news

Pep Guardiola has disclosed Kyle Walker’s interest in pursuing a new challenge away from the Etihad. The 34-year-old was omitted from the squad that faced Salford, and it seems he won’t feature for City until his future is resolved.

Oscar Bobb is edging closer to a comeback following a fractured leg bone sustained in August. While the Norwegian forward will miss City’s trip to Paris, he is anticipated to return before the season concludes.

Rodri has expressed his determination to play again this season despite a knee injury initially deemed season-ending. The Spaniard, sidelined since September, will not be rushed, but there is optimism about a return around May.

Centre-backs John Stones and Ruben Dias are unavailable at present due to injuries. Dias sustained a muscular problem during the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in December, while Stones is nearing recovery from an ankle issue.

Ederson, who had been absent for City’s last four Premier League matches due to a knock.

Chelsea recently found themselves at the centre of an injury-related dispute involving head coach Enzo Maresca and defender Wesley Fofana. Maresca suggested earlier this month that Fofana’s hamstring issue could sideline him for the rest of the season. However, the Frenchman countered this claim, insisting he would return within four to six weeks.

Regardless, Fofana remains unavailable for selection, as do Omari Kellyman (hamstring), Mykhaylo Mudryk (suspension), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (undisclosed issue), and Benoit Badiashile (thigh). Carney Chukwuemeka, sidelined recently due to illness, is expected to be back in contention.

On a positive note, captain Reece James and midfielder Romeo Lavia returned from injury and started the game against League Two side Morecambe in the FA Cup.

Despite the quality of the team that faced Morecambe in the FA Cup, Maresca is expected to ring the changes against City with the likes of Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho, and Levi Colwill returning to the starting lineup.

Predicted starting lineup

Man City predicted starting lineup:

Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic; Foden, Silva, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland.

Chelsea predicted starting lineup:

Sanchez; Acheampong, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.

Prediction

After a strong start to life as Chelsea boss, the Blues under Enzo Maresca are beginning to falter, having gained only two points from four games.

The game against City has been their biggest test yet, as they’ve failed to defeat the Cityzens since the Champions League final in 2021.

Chelsea’s frailty against big opposition, having failed to beat any team in the top three, could also be their undoing when they travel to the Etihad, especially when the battle for the top four is at stake.

City are expected to emerge victorious, but Chelsea, just like every other game, will pose a threat with their attacking firepower.

We’re predicting a 2-1 win for City.