Chelsea will go into this clash with their tails up following their 3-1 win against the Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday. This seemingly routine victory came after a string of Premier League draws and defeats, providing a timely boost to the boys’ confidence as they take on the reigning champions.
A big part of the Londoners’ recent revival can be attributed to the return of skipper Reece James from injury. He netted that last-grasp equalizer against Bournemouth and put in a commanding display versus the Wolves, assisting Tosin Adarabioyo’s opener. Blues fans will be relieved that he came away from those encounters unscathed and will hope he stays healthy through the Manchester City game.
A timely return
Trevor Chalobah’s return to Stamford Bridge proved the elixir for Chelsea’s fragile defense. Matheus Cunha and Co. severely tested his partnership with Adarabioyo but they got the job done. If Levi Colwill returns to the starting lineup, head coach Enzo Maresca may resort to a back three to pair the pace and aerial ability Chalobah and Colwill offer with Adarabioyo’s great positional awareness.
But given his preference for a back four, it will more likely be Adarabioyo with either Colwill or Chalobah. City will be up against a backline which, though not quite water-tight, will be tough to crack open, especially if they get the reliable cover that Moisés Caideido has been providing all season.
Midfield woes
The Ecuadorian will have his work cut out keeping tabs on Kevin De Bruyne who appears to be getting back to his pre-injury levels. And he will have to do it without the help of a Roméo Lavia or an Enzo Fernandez, taking nothing away from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who had a decent game against Wolves. Midfield is the one area Chelsea is likely to struggle. They will be up against highly mobile, creative ball carriers in Bernado Silva, Mateo Kovacic and KDB.
Given the little Premier League game time Dewsbury-Hall has had so far this season, he may struggle to keep up with City’s possession-intensive play. Should Chelsea’s wingers succumb to the temptation to collapse into midfield to help, Jeremy Doku and Savinho will have a field day.
The Doku headache
Going by his devastatingly good display against Ipswich Town, Doku will be the other key attacking outlet for Man City. Reece James may therefore not have the freedom to rampage upfield that he had in Chelsea’s last outing. It also means that whoever Maresca chooses to deploy on the right flank between Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto will have more of a defensive brief.
Turning defense into attack
The fact that all three of Chelsea’s goals in the Wolves game were virtually scored by defenders doesn’t speak well of the attacking players. Nicholas Jackson’s struggles in front of goal are well documented and wingers Jadon Sancho and Neto seem to have gone off the boil after showing glimpses of promise in December.
The Blues may have to rely on their defenders to get the job done on the other end of the pitch. Chalobah’s heading ability (move over Virgil Van Dyke, Gabriel Magalhães), Marc Cucurella’s attacking runs or a James deadball special are more probable sources of a goal at this point than any of Chelsea’s front three.
What are the odds?
Though they will be playing host to the Londoners on Saturday, Manchester City will not be overly confident of a win. Their 6-0 demolition of The Tractor Boys sparked whispers that the real Man City was finally reemerging. But their midweek 2-4 humbling at Parc des Princes will serve as a reminder that the Citizens are still in the midst of one of their worst runs of form.
Chelsea has had a January to forget and their fans will be hoping that the Monday win was a sign that they’ve turned a corner. Bookmakers will likely put the winning odds in City’s favor, them the hosts, but the fact that they lost the Manchester derby at the Etihad not too long ago will give Chelsea fans a good reason to be optimistic.