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Chelsea vs Manchester City: 08/12/2018 – match preview and predicted starting XIs

Chelsea vs Manchester City

Date: 08/12/2018 

K/O: 17:30 

Venue: Stamford Bridge

Referee: Michael Oliver

TV: BT Sport 1

A weak and demoralized Chelsea side take on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Saturday who seem to only be going from strength to strength throughout this Premier League season and are yet to be beaten.  

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The Blues will be looking to rebound from Wednesday nights humiliating defeat away to Wolves but will find it tough going even despite being at the Bridge. Manchester City, on the other hand, are yet to lose all season and even though Chelsea will provide a sterner test than Watford, one imagines they will still have enough.

Chelsea’s problems are still the same as they have been for the past few seasons, or at least since Diego Costa left, and that is their lack of a goalscoring centre-forward. Eden Hazard remains their main creative outlet and if City can stop him, which Wolves managed expertly, then it appears they stop Chelsea.

Manchester City look quite unstoppable at the minute; it seemed impossible for them to be better than they were last year but it looks like they may well be just that. Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling have been in sparkling form and if Chelsea failed to control Wolves’ wingers then who knows what damage this City duo will do.

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Team News

Chelsea

Sarri has the freedom of picking from a fully fit squad to face the reigning Champions but even that may not be enough. It is expected that Willian and Morata may drop out with Pedro and Giroud set to come in, perhaps with a more defensive showing in mind.

On the topic of defence, those players who did not put in too good a showing on Wednesday might well keep their places with the exception of Christensen dropping out to let Luiz come back in. Aguero has historically driven David Luiz wild so if the Argentine starts then we should expect goals.

In midfield, the big question is over Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He has been in fantastic form recently with two goals in his last two games yet after his mid-week exertions, Sarri could possibly look towards Kovacic to provide an attacking flair.



Manchester City 

Manchester City will be without their long-term injuries, namely De Bruyne and Mendy, and there is a doubt over how fit Aguero truly is too. The Argentine missed the mid-week trip to Watford and Jesus could possibly lead the line once more. The Citizens have shown they can win without their best players but Chelsea are a different proposition and if Aguero is fit then he will no doubt be starting in the capital.

City will be hoping that Sterling will be firing on all cylinders as he has been in recent weeks, ready to cause Chelsea and namely Azpilicueta some serious trouble down the flanks. Guardiola’s side have a problem every club would want which is too much quality to choose from. Do they go for Mahrez down the right or do they stick with Sane? My guess would be the former with the latter coming on later in the game as an impact sub, more than likely causing severe damage and panic within the Chelsea ranks.

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Predicted Starting XI’s

Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; Alonso, Luiz, Rudiger, Azpilicueta; Kante, Jorignho, Loftus-Cheek; Pedro, Giroud, Hazard

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Delph; B.Silva, Fernandinho, D. Silva; Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling

Score Prediction: Chelsea 0 – 3 Manchester City 

I have a fairly strong feeling that City will run away with this. Chelsea are simply not strong enough to deal with this City side, no one really is. They will get one in early and then as Chelsea tire, they will succumb to pressure and go down by three.

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