Manchester City travel to Chelsea nine points behind Arsenal in the Premier League (with a game in hand)… and however big the deficit may seem, Pep Guardiola’s men will look to put together the kind of run they have become known for and put pressure on the leaders. That mission now begins at the home of beleaguered Chelsea.
With a string of defeats recently, Liam Rosenior is under extreme pressure as he looks to defend his permanent spot in the summer, while they are just one point behind fifth-placed Liverpool and the final UEFA Champions League spot. A win here could be a big boost towards a place in next year’s Champions League.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s big game:
How to watch:
The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO and NOW TV in the UK, USA Network in the US, JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow live updates from ESPN.
Key details:
Start time: Sunday April 12 at 4:30 pm BST (11:30 am ET; 10:00 pm IST, Sunday and 2:30 am AEST).
Event: Stamford Bridge, London
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: Paul Howard
Injury and team news:
Chelsea
Enzo Fernández, M: OUTSIDEsuspended by the club
Mykhaylo Mudryk, F: OUTSIDE suspended
Filip Jorgensen, goalkeeper, OUTSIDEgroin
Levi Colwill, D: OUTSIDEknee
Reece James, D: OUTSIDEhamstring
Trevoh Chalobah, D: OUTSIDEankle
Jamie Gittens, F: OUTSIDEhamstring
city man
John Stones, D: DOUBTcalf
Josko Gvardiol, D: OUTSIDEbroken leg
Rubén Días, D: OUTSIDEhamstring
Talking points:
Two big wins set City up for a good finish
Now we have entered the now traditional ‘Manchester City streak’; Just look at the stats: City have won 28 of their last 31 Premier League games in the month of April (D2 L1) and have 2.50 points per game in the competition in April (L38 W30 D30 D5 L3), the highest rate of any team that has played more than 15 games in a specific month under the direction of a manager. The team in second place? Also, Guardiola’s Manchester City in May (2.47).
And they do it thanks to two magnificent victories. The first came in the EFL Cup against current Prem leaders Arsenal, a statement of intent to show that the title race is not over yet. The second came in the FA Cup, where they dominated Liverpool and left another declaration of intent: they will be there until the end.
Chelsea’s form a cause for concern
Dismantling Port Vale in the FA Cup may have been a boost, but the stats don’t lie: after winning each of their first four Premier League games under Liam Rosenior, Chelsea have since won just one of their last six (D2 L3).
This includes a streak of four consecutive defeats in all competitions, and the worrying thing is that in none of them did it seem like they could compete and get back into the game. Rosenior has plenty of injuries and absences (more on that later) to deal with, but it’s all part of the job: if he hopes to remain a manager in the summer, he has to nail down this final stretch, and that starts with the impressive game against City.
Is Haaland back to fitness?
Erling Haaland’s hat trick against Liverpool in the FA Cup would have been glorious for Pep Guardiola and City fans. It’s not just the fact of the hat-trick, but the fact that Haaland appears to have regained the sharpness that saw him score so freely in the first half of the season. In fact, he scored 19 goals in 17 Prem appearances before Christmas this season; after that, he scored just three in his last 12 (two of which were penalties). And he didn’t even seem to feel like scoring lately. In fact, he had been averaging 0.89 non-penalty expected goals per 90 before Christmas in the Prem; after that, this had fallen to 0.32.
If course is to be corrected, now would be the time for City to look to Arsenal, and Haaland’s exploits in the FA Cup promise just that.
Will Rosenior honor Enzo’s suspension and how does that affect Chelsea’s chances?
After some derogatory comments about the change of coach at Chelsea and talk about a possible transfer to Real Madrid, Enzo Fernández was quickly sanctioned by the club. This was the first real instance in which Rosenior stamped his authority on the team, and with so much at stake, he’s not going to overturn the suspension, no matter the importance of the game. Surely.
However, just as important as keeping your word is understanding how best to replace your vice captain. Fernández has made more passes that have broken the rival defensive line than any Prem player this season (41). He has also made 36 line-breaking passes into the opposition area, a joint record with Bruno Fernandes. Without Fernandez’s ball progression from midfield, Chelsea could struggle to break through City’s lines, and this is where former City talent turned Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer comes into play.
What do the numbers say?
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Chelsea have not beaten Man City in their last nine Prem games (D3 L6). Their last win was a 2-1 away win in May 2021.
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Manchester City have drawn their last two Prem games, despite scoring first each time (2-2 v Nottingham Forest, 1-1 v West Ham).
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Chelsea have lost their last two Prem games, a 0-1 defeat to Newcastle and a 0-3 defeat to Everton. The last time the Blues lost three games in a row was in May 2023 (4), and the last time they did so without scoring was in March 1998 (4).
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Manchester City (51) and Chelsea (50) have taken more shots after big turnovers than any other team in the Prem this season.