Buzz Lightyear
Alert Team
Pep has great affection for Sarri, but we do need the points and not affection.
With The History Boys playing on Saturday afternoon and facing a Bournemouth team that have lost their last 8 away matches in all competitions shipping 21 goals in the process, there is every chance that City will start their match on Sunday having once again swapped places with them at the top of the League. But this is unlikely to phase Pep Guardiola who is deliberately getting his team to focus on their next performance and let everything else take care of itself.
The gritty, resolute result City eeked out at the traditionally tough venue of Goodison Park had followed on swiftly from a result of a different character altogether against Arsenal. Whilst the local propaganda on Merseyside was portraying this as City being below par and hinting at a less than committed effort from their neighbours across Stanley Park, those with less red-tinged glasses would see this as a demonstration of the kind of solid performance and result needed when you are in a tight race for honours.
Chelsea have evolved into a type of Jekyll & Hyde team under Sarri. Losing heavily to Bournemouth and then seeing off Huddersfield with relative ease the next match has seen their coach alternately doubt his squad's motivation and praise their effort. There is little doubt however that they will raise themselves for this fixture & it is likely to be a tense encounter especially as the last six encounters have yielded only 13 goals in total shared between both sides. That said they have lost their last three away games in all competitions, succumbing to defeat at Tottenham, Arsenal and Bournemouth since the turn of the year. They've also won only one of their last five visits to the Etihad Stadium but will be bolstered by the addition to their squad of Gonzalo Higuain. A proven goalscorer with a fantastic track record he will be a threat.
Pep will need no encouragement to emphasise to his team to build on the gains that have been made over the past few weeks. A potentially unbridgeable gap has been avoided and the players will be desperate not to squander their opportunity to maintain the pressure on their title rivals. With The History Boys not playing in the league again until 24th February Sunday's match offers the chance to remain at the top of the league for the next two weeks and heap the pressure back onto Klopp's men. Whilst this extended break - caused by them being dumped out of the domestic cups - may be beneficial in terms of rest and recuperation, it may also be detrimental in terms of their focus. City in this period face the prospect of the League Cup Final & a tricky, banana skin of an away game against Newport County in the FA Cup as well as the return of Champions League football vs Schalke.
It will be an interesting few weeks.
But first up - time for some payback for the defeat at Stamford Bridge.
City Team News
Out - Kompany, Bravo, Mendy (Not in Hong Kong
)
Potential Starting XI
Ederson
Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Laporte,
De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Silva D
Silva B, Aguero, Sterling
Subs
Muric, Danilo, Gundogan, Delph, Mahrez, Jesus, Sane
Chelsea Team News
Cahill & Hudson-Odoi face late fitness tests. van Ginkel (I know, who?) is ruled out with an ACL injury.
Chelsea Connections
Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nicolas Anelka, Wayne Bridge, Frank Lampard, Terry Phelan, David Rocastle, George Weah and Daniel Sturridge.
Famous Chelsea Fans
Lord Richard Attenborough Will Ferrell Tim Lovejoy Nigella Lawson (Her dad is a City fan) Geri Halliwell Jeremy Clarkson Peter Crouch
City v Chelsea Head to Head - Last 6 matches (all comps)
City W3 D0 L3 GF6 GA7
Form - Last 6 all comps
Man City WWWLWW
Chelsea WDWLLW
Officials
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistants: Darren Cann, Dan Robathan
Fourth official: Paul Tierney
With The History Boys playing on Saturday afternoon and facing a Bournemouth team that have lost their last 8 away matches in all competitions shipping 21 goals in the process, there is every chance that City will start their match on Sunday having once again swapped places with them at the top of the League. But this is unlikely to phase Pep Guardiola who is deliberately getting his team to focus on their next performance and let everything else take care of itself.
The gritty, resolute result City eeked out at the traditionally tough venue of Goodison Park had followed on swiftly from a result of a different character altogether against Arsenal. Whilst the local propaganda on Merseyside was portraying this as City being below par and hinting at a less than committed effort from their neighbours across Stanley Park, those with less red-tinged glasses would see this as a demonstration of the kind of solid performance and result needed when you are in a tight race for honours.
Chelsea have evolved into a type of Jekyll & Hyde team under Sarri. Losing heavily to Bournemouth and then seeing off Huddersfield with relative ease the next match has seen their coach alternately doubt his squad's motivation and praise their effort. There is little doubt however that they will raise themselves for this fixture & it is likely to be a tense encounter especially as the last six encounters have yielded only 13 goals in total shared between both sides. That said they have lost their last three away games in all competitions, succumbing to defeat at Tottenham, Arsenal and Bournemouth since the turn of the year. They've also won only one of their last five visits to the Etihad Stadium but will be bolstered by the addition to their squad of Gonzalo Higuain. A proven goalscorer with a fantastic track record he will be a threat.
Pep will need no encouragement to emphasise to his team to build on the gains that have been made over the past few weeks. A potentially unbridgeable gap has been avoided and the players will be desperate not to squander their opportunity to maintain the pressure on their title rivals. With The History Boys not playing in the league again until 24th February Sunday's match offers the chance to remain at the top of the league for the next two weeks and heap the pressure back onto Klopp's men. Whilst this extended break - caused by them being dumped out of the domestic cups - may be beneficial in terms of rest and recuperation, it may also be detrimental in terms of their focus. City in this period face the prospect of the League Cup Final & a tricky, banana skin of an away game against Newport County in the FA Cup as well as the return of Champions League football vs Schalke.
It will be an interesting few weeks.
But first up - time for some payback for the defeat at Stamford Bridge.
City Team News
Out - Kompany, Bravo, Mendy (Not in Hong Kong
)Potential Starting XI
Ederson
Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Laporte,
De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Silva D
Silva B, Aguero, Sterling
Subs
Muric, Danilo, Gundogan, Delph, Mahrez, Jesus, Sane
Chelsea Team News
Cahill & Hudson-Odoi face late fitness tests. van Ginkel (I know, who?) is ruled out with an ACL injury.
Chelsea Connections
Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nicolas Anelka, Wayne Bridge, Frank Lampard, Terry Phelan, David Rocastle, George Weah and Daniel Sturridge.
Famous Chelsea Fans
Lord Richard Attenborough Will Ferrell Tim Lovejoy Nigella Lawson (Her dad is a City fan) Geri Halliwell Jeremy Clarkson Peter Crouch
City v Chelsea Head to Head - Last 6 matches (all comps)
City W3 D0 L3 GF6 GA7
Form - Last 6 all comps
Man City WWWLWW
Chelsea WDWLLW
Officials
Referee: Mike Dean
Assistants: Darren Cann, Dan Robathan
Fourth official: Paul Tierney
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