Manchester City vs Chelsea. Premier League.
Etihad StadiumAttendance45,602.
Friday 19 September 2014 15:11, UK
Champions Manchester City take on Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in a clash of sides who many consider will be fighting it out for the title come next May.
Chelsea won this corresponding fixture 1-0 last season – the only team to come away from the Etihad in the league with a win – as Jose Mourinho’s side did the double over Manuel Pellegrini’s men.
However City have already slipped to a home defeat this term – a 1-0 reverse to Stoke – and followed that loss with a 2-2 home draw with Arsenal.
Those slip-ups see the champions already sitting five points behind early league leaders Chelsea, who have four wins out of four this term.
Star striker Diego Costa has come into the side to fire the Blues to the top, with seven goals already this campaign.
Pellegrini will have to come up with a plan to contain the striker in what should prove a mouth-watering tactical clash with ‘Special One’ Mourinho, who was widely praised for the tactics employed to win at the Etihad last term.
The game is also sure to prove emotional for Chelsea's record goalscorer Frank Lampard, who left Stamford Bridge in the summer after 13 seasons, signing for New York City FC before being loaned to Manchester City in a six-month deal.
Both teams go into the clash after midweek UEFA Champions League games against German opposition – City going down to a last-gasp 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich, while Chelsea were held 1-1 by Schalke.
City's star striker Sergio Aguero is also set to start after he was rested for the Bayern Munich clash.
Costa will start for Chelsea against Manchester City on Sunday despite a hamstring problem.
The striker was only a substitute in Wednesday's Champions League draw with Schalke and cannot play more than one full game a week at present.
Manager Mourinho reported no other injury problems.
Mourinho has suggested Costa won’t play and if that happens then Man City will win, it’s as simple as that. He's not going to play him in the Capital One Cup so I’ve no doubt he will play in this one though.
As for Man City, they didn’t have enough pace on the break against Bayern Munich and it was only a matter of time before they conceded to a top team.
I think City will get a result – but what the result is all depends on whether Costa plays or not.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 if Costa plays, otherwise 2-0 to Man City.
