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A week after ending Tottenham Hotspurs’ reign at the top of the English Premiership table, Chelsea have a chance to do it all again as they face Manchester City on Sunday afternoon at Stamford Bridge.
The 4-1 thrashing of the high-flying Spurs by Mauricio Pochettino’s side last weekend might have been good for their morale, but it can not gloss over the fact that Chelsea and City are having very contrasting seasons.
Pochettino will welcome back forward Armando Broja, who has been out for a month, but will be without Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana.
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That notwithstanding, the Argentine mentor believes that his side are not without a chance.
Said Pochettino:
Pochettino has two former City players in his squad, with both Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer in line for a place in the starting line-up against their former club.
The last four league meetings between the two clubs have ended in 1-0 victories for the Citizens. The last time Chelsea lost five consecutive league games was against Blackburn Rovers between 1993 and 1996.
Their fans though will be concerned over their home form as they won just one game at Stamford Bridge in their last 13 outings – a 3-0 win against Luton Town in August.
Their scoring has been similarly disappointing, as they have not found the back of the net in three of their last four games at home.
Manchester City, meanwhile, are without England defender John Stones, who was injured in his sides’ midweek Champions League victory against Young Boys. Also missing are Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Gomez.
City coach Pep Guardiola can count on Swiss defender Manuel Akanji who missed the midweek game through a back injury.
The other player he can count on is striker Erling Haaland, who might not be scoring as much as he did last seaso but the Norwegian did score twice against Young Boys. Last season Haaland scored 17 goals in his opening 11 matches, compared to the 11 goals from 11 games this season.
Despite having 12 points more than Chelsea, the Spaniard believes that better days are coming for the Blues.
Said Guardiola:
“It’s one of the strongest teams, no doubts about that. They are alive, in good spirit, aggressive, with good patterns. It’s one of the toughest games we have in the season.”
Watch Mauricio Pochettino preview our clash with Manchester City LIVE! https://t.co/elmSfwGi2q
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 10, 2023
Despite his praise for their opponents, Guardiola believes his side can return from London with maximum points. “We go there optimistic with what I have seen, the training and mood of the team [City]. We are top of the league right now and this is what we have to try and maintain the quality of the game."
