Saturday’s crunch match between Premier League leaders Chelsea and second-placed Manchester City may well prove to be the closest we come to a decisive game in the English top flight this season. Southampton -- who head into the round in third place -- are good, but not so good that they’re going to overhaul Chelsea’s 10-point advantage. This season’s Premier League race is very much a two-horse one.
Chelsea vs. Manchester City preview: Will the Premier League title race be revived?
First meets second in the Premier League Saturday, but who has the tactical upper hand?
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Should Chelsea win, the dark blue ribbons could probably be started to be tied onto the trophy. Victory would move them eight points clear at the top of the table, and while this Chelsea team is far from an all-time great one, it would still be very uncharacteristic of a José Mourinho side to let such a lead slip. But on the other hand, should City cause an upset at Stamford Bridge, the gap would be cut to just a couple of points. Then who knows what would happen?
Team news
The bad news for Chelsea is that they head into this game with a string of injury concerns, and without suspended strike star Diego Costa. The rigours of 120 minutes of football against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup in midweek saw Branislav Ivanović, Filipe Luís and Cesc Fàbregas all pick up knocks, leaving Mourinho with several selection concerns.
Manchester City are a little better off, though the mercurial attacker Samir Nasri will certainly miss out with an injury, while Yaya Touré and new signing Wilfried Bony are away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations. Young centre-back Eliaquim Mangala faces a late fitness test to determine whether he'll be fit enough to partner Vincent Kompany at the centre of defence.
Projected lineups (left to right)
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; César Azpilicueta, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanović; Cesc Fàbregas, Nemanja Matić; Eden Hazard, Oscar, Willian; Didier Drogba.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Joe Hart; Gaël Clichy, Eliaquim Mangala, Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta; Fernandinho, Fernando; James Milner, David Silva, Jesús Navas; Sergio Agüero.
Key questions
How will Chelsea cope without Diego Costa? Diego Costa has probably been the Premier League’s signing of the season so far, and has been crucial to Chelsea’s success. He’s a remarkably well-rounded striker, capable of using his pace to run onto direct passes play in behind, or his strength to bring other teammates into play. In contrast, his backups, Loïc Rémy (who’s good at the former) and Didier Drogba (who’s no longer particularly good at either), are rather more limited. Chelsea’s play in the absence of Costa will be much less varied, which will play into City’s hands.
How will City deal with Chelsea’s midfield superiority? Manchester is basically the Bermuda Triangle for midfielders -- those who venture within seem to disappear with alarming regularity. No longer is this just a phenomena affecting United, but City too. WIth Yaya Touré away with the Ivory Coast, City’s midfield pair of Fernando and Fernandinho has looked alarmingly inadequate. Even if Fàbregas doesn’t make it back from injury, Chelsea -- and attacking midfield Oscar in particular -- could have a field day.
What kind of form is Sergio Agüero in? - Earlier in the season, Sergio Agüero was in the form of his life. He scored 14 Premier League goals before the calendar year was out, and looked, on form, like the best striker on the planet. The only problem is, he’s not scored once this year, and City have suffered as a consequence. If they are going to stand a chance of winning this game, they could really do with their star man getting back to his best.
Prediction
This game should be tight, but I reckon Chelsea will just edge it. Their vastly superior midfield and home advantage should be enough to mask their inferior options in attack, and allow them to establish a very healthy lead at the top of the Premier League table. 1-0 Chelsea.
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