Neither Chelsea or Manchester City have been perfect this season, but both find themselves within touching distance of the top of the table ahead of their clash at Stamford Bridge this weekend. José Mourinho's hosts are currently a point better placed than their Mancunian visitors, and, thanks to their four game winning streak, just a couple behind league leaders Arsenal.
Chelsea vs. Manchester City: Preview and TV schedule
Only a point separates Chelsea and Manchester City near the top of the table, with the two sides going head-to-head in the pick of the weekend’s games.
However, precedent suggests Manchester City could well overturn that deficit and leapfrog the Blues in the table this weekend, having won four of the last five competitive meetings with Chelsea. They haven't lost against Mourinho's team since December 2011, when a late penalty from substitute Frank Lampard sealed a 2-1 comeback win against City's ten men.
For this match, Chelsea will be without Marco van Ginkel with a knee injury, while Ashley Cole is expected to start despite suffering from a rib problem. For City centre-backs, Martín Demichelis and Vincent Kompany are both doubtful, leaving Manuel Pellegrini with the less-than-ideal prospect of playing midfielder Javi García as an auxiliary defender once more.
Chelsea injuries and suspensions
Out: Marco van Ginkel (knee). In doubt: Ashley Cole (rib).
Manchester City injuries and suspensions
Out: None. In doubt: Martín Demichelis (knee), Vincent Kompany (thigh)..
Projected lineups
Chelsea: Petr Čech; Ashley Cole, John Terry, David Luiz, Branislav Ivanović; Ramires, Frank Lampard; Eden Hazard, Oscar, André Schürrle; Fernando Torres.
Manchester City: Joe Hart; Aleksandar Kolarov, Javi García, Matija Nastasić, Pablo Zabaleta; Yaya Touré, Fernandinho; David Silva, Sergio Agüero, Jesús Navas; Álvaro Negredo.
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 4 p.m. local, 12 p.m. ET
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
TV: NBC Sports Network, DirecTV, Mun2 (U.S.), Sportsnet (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.).
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Sportsnet World Online (Canada), Sky Go (U.K.).
More in Soccer:
See More:
