Chelsea FC welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge this afternoon as the two go head-to-head in a Premier League clash. Here’s all you need to know.
In a fixture that has lost some of its gloss this season, Manchester City will travel to Stamford Bridge later today in order to take on Chelsea FC. The Blues will be looking to thwart Manuel Pellegrini’s men as they look to secure their spot in the top four.
Chelsea will be coming off a disappointing loss against Swansea City last weekend. As Guus Hiddink continued his youth experiment, the youngsters could not come up trumps at the Liberty Stadium. Man City, meanwhile, defeated PSG midweek to reach the final four of the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Key Details
Chelsea FC v Manchester City, 16th April
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Time: 17:30 BST, 12:30 ET
TV: Sky Sports 1 (UK), NBC Sports Live Extra (US), check your country’s local listings here
Team News
Interim boss Guus Hiddink will have three extra players to call upon this weekend. Speaking to the media, he revealed that Nemanja Matic and Gary Cahill have recovered from respective injuries. Diego Costa returns after a suspension.
It is unlikely that Matic will slot back into the starting line-up, as his use was relatively sparse leading up to his knock. He has been exceedingly poor this season and the Blues have certainly paid for it.
Cahill, meanwhile, will probably take his place next to Branislav Ivanovic at the heart of the defence. Matt Miazga disappointed last weekend and was even substituted at half-time. With City posing a significantly greater threat than the Swans, Hiddink is likely to opt for the more experienced combination. John Terry is still unavailable.
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Up front, Diego Costa will inevitably be raring to go. He has sat out the previous three games due to the red card he picked up in the FA Cup quarter-final against Everton, with the relevant ban extended by one match. He has apparently been training hard so should not be lacking fitness.
Kenedy is available despite some minor problems but Loic Remy and Kurt Zouma, of course, are not.
Manchester City, meanwhile, will be missing an influential trio of stars. All of Raheem Sterling, David Silva and captain Vincent Kompany will not be taking the field as they deal with groin, ankle and calf issues respectively.
Apart from that, Pellegrini has a full compliment of players from which to select his squad.
Next: Predicted 4-2-3-1 Chelsea FC team for City clash: Two changes made
Prediction
City 2-0. Chelsea have nothing to play for and are still awful. City are desperate to secure that top four space and will put in a performance reflecting that.