Skip to content

Man City v Chelsea: Jamie Carragher previews Sunday's clash at the Etihad Stadium

Sky Sports pundit would want David Silva and Diego Costa as focal points of his team

Image: Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany must not see their side beaten by Chelsea, says Carra

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher will be right here each week to cast his expert eye over the forthcoming Premier League games.

The Liverpool legend will have his say on the teams, players, managers and stories surrounding Sky’s live weekend fixtures – and in this column he looks ahead to Super Sunday's massive Man City-Chelsea clash.

So read on for his thoughts on why Jose Mourinho will revert to type at the Etihad; why City cannot afford to be beaten; and which players for each side he would want in any team he was managing...

Live Ford Super Sunday

Is this Chelsea’s first real test of the season?

CARRA SAYS: The Premier League is a tough division and you can come a cropper in any game, as Manchester City and Liverpool have already found out this season against Stoke and Aston Villa respectively, but it’s probably fair to say that this is where we can gauge where Chelsea are at in the biggest game of the season so far. There have been a few big contests up until now but this is crucial. Chelsea have been scoring lots of goals and looking the part so it will be fascinating to see if that continues at the Etihad but they went there last season and got a result and Jose Mourinho is notoriously successful in big games.

Chelsea have scored 15 goals in their four games, but will they be safety first at City?

CARRA SAYS: I think they will keep things very tight and try to win the game in the way Mourinho has won big games in the past: by stifling the opposition and taking their chances when they come. There’s nothing wrong with that as very few teams can play open, expansive and carefree football against their title rivals, especially away from home. Mourinho is the master at setting his teams up to be spoilers and hard to break down and while I’d say the best team I ever played against in the Premier League was Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles, Jose Mourinho’s first Chelsea side was probably second. Liverpool played them so often and you always knew you were in for a battle and tight match against a side unfamiliar with suffering defeat.

More from Man City V Chelsea

Manchester City Manager Manuel Pellegrini looks on prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and
Image: Manuel Pellegrini's side have taken seven points from their four Premier League games so far

Man City have not been at their blistering best. What have you made of them so far?

CARRA SAYS: They have started slowly – though they started slowly last year and went on to win the title! The loss at home to Stoke was a poor result but if they had won that we’d probably be sitting here saying they have had a great start because they have already beaten Liverpool following an outstanding performance on the Monday Night Football game we covered, and got a good draw at Arsenal without Fernando or Yaya Toure in the side. So I don’t think there is anything for City to be unduly worried about – even the form of Toure, who struggled against Bayern Munich. We have to remember that he is 31 and not 21 so tiredness will be a factor from time to time, but he has also been at the World Cup and played in every minute of Ivory Coast’s group games.

Do City need to win this game?

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Another chance to see all the action from Chelsea's 3-1 win over Man City from September 2008. Featuring Robinho's debut goal for City, and a red card for

CARRA SAYS: I think it is vital City get a result on Sunday as if they lose it – and suffer a second home defeat on the bounce – there will be an eight-point gap between them and Chelsea. When Mourinho first came to Chelsea and won two Premier Leagues in a row, every time his side got a lead in the table they were very difficult to overhaul. With the way they have started this season and the way they are racking up lots of goals, I don’t think you can let them get too far in front. For that reason, the other title challengers will be hoping for a Man City win, too.

Which club has the stronger squad?

CARRA SAYS: If you’re talking about who has the best line-up, you could argue either way but in terms of the overall picture, I’d have to go City. They edge Chelsea in the striker department for me – they have Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic, while Mourinho has Diego Costa, Didier Drogba and Loic Remy – and if Costa is out for Chelsea I think that will hit them more than if Aguero is out for City.

He is one of my favourite players to watch because of the way he moves and glides with the ball.
Carra on David Silva

If you were a manager and could pick one City player and one Chelsea player to have in your team, who would you go for?

CARRA SAYS: I’d go for David Silva from City. He is one of my favourite players to watch because of the way he moves and glides with the ball and what he can do with it. He switches between playing as a No 10 or in the wider areas but he always finds those dangerous pockets of space and is extremely difficult to pick up – though Chelsea did manage to negate him last season with Nemanja Matic and David Luiz playing shielding roles. For Chelsea, I’d have to go with Costa, who would probably have fired them to the Premier League title if he was playing for them last year.

Watch Manchester City host Chelsea live on Super Sunday from 3.30pm on Sky Sports 1, directly after Leicester entertain Manchester United at The King Power Stadium from 12.30pm.

Around Sky