Chelsea will travel to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, September 21, 2014 to take on Manchester City. The match will kick off at 8:00 AM PT (11:00 AM ET). While this is certainly a huge fixture in the Barclay’s Premier League, both squads will want to get back on a winning knot, having dropped points midweek in Champions League play. Chelsea only managed a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge against Schalke 04, while Manchester City conceded a late Jerome Boateng goal at the Allianz Arena. City lost the match 1-0 to German powerhouse Bayern Munich.
Chelsea Team News:
The Blues head into Sunday’s clash with City looking to bounce back from their poor home performance midweek. Schalke were a worthy opponent, but Chelsea are certainly the better side, and will look to get back on track against Manchester City.
Diego Costa will likely start, scoring seven goals in four matches for his new team, and that trend must continue in order for this team to pull out a victory. After Costa, defender Branislav Ivanovic is the team’s second highest scorer, so they’ll need someone else to start scoring goals.
A storyline that is going under the radar is that legendary Chelsea star Frank Lampard will be playing his former team for the first time. It won’t be at Stamford Bridge, but he’ll surely be warmly greeted by his former mates, as well as manager Jose Mourinho.
Manchester City Team News:
Following their heartbreaking loss at the hands of Bayern Munich, Manchester City look to rebound against another talented European side, this time in domestic opponent Chelsea. It appears that Manuel Pelligrini’s team are almost at full-strength, likely only missing Fernando and Stefan for this clash. Edin Dzeko suffered a back injury after the Bayern match, but he is expected to play on Sunday.
City will face Sheffield Wednesday in Capital One Cup competition on Wednesday afternoon, but this team have be wary of two weeks time when they get back to Champions League play against AS Roma. Their clash with Chelsea will be great preparation for that fixture.
Manchester City vs Chelsea Prediction
Chelsea haven’t dropped any points through four Premier League matches, but I expect that trend to end on Sunday as Manchester City pose a major threat in the title race. Chelsea have received a boost, with Diego Costa likely starting in this fixture. Both teams have the ability to possess the ball for lengthy periods, so the team that can break down their opponents’ defense first will have the edge. Although they could be vulnerable after their tough defeat at Bayern on Wednesday, I believe that Manchester City and Chelsea will play to a 2-2 draw.
TV Schedule
The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network at 8 AM PT (11 AM PT).
