Manchester City lock horns with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in the biggest Premier League fixture of the weekend.
The two sides played out a scintillating 4-4 draw in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge in November, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side faces an uphill task this time around. Indeed, Man City are now on a six-game winning run in the Premier League, the kind of run that makes them an ominous force for the opposition. They are just two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.
Meanwhile, the Blues remain hugely inconsistent. Capable of pulling off big performances against the top teams at times and losing to bottom-half sides, Pochettino’s side simply cannot be relied upon.
With that being said, here are the three key battles that could define the outcome of this mouthwatering Premier League fixture.
#Kevin de Bruyne vs Moises Caicedo
In January, Kevin de Bruyne made a long-awaited return to action after missing five months with a serious hamstring injury he suffered on the opening day of the Premier League season. Many Man City fans feared that the Belgian playmaker would not be the same when he recovered, but over the last few weeks, he has put those concerns to rest.
De Bruyne has made seven appearances since returning to action, scoring one goal and setting up seven more. He has registered an assist in four successive league outings whilst scoring once and setting up two goals in City’s 3-1 win over FC Copenhagen in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday evening.
Thus, keeping the 32-year-old under wraps will be extremely important for Chelsea and that task will fall on the shoulders of Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian is yet to sparkle in Chelsea colours since joining from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer, majorly struggling with confidence. He was partly guilty for Crystal Palace’s equaliser on Monday, which should’ve done no good to his confidence.
On Saturday, however, Caicedo has to be at his best to tame De Bruyne. If he can do that, Chelsea’s chances of getting a positive result against City will become higher.
#Phil Foden vs Ben Chilwell
Another massive duel that could define the game is between Phil Foden and Ben Chilwell.
Foden stepped up in the injury-enforced absence of De Bruyne to thrive in a central role in numerous games in the first half of the season. Now with De Bruyne back, the England international has switched to the flanks on a more regular basis and his productivity has been awesome. The 23-year-old excelled in Tuesday’s Champions League victory over FC Copenhagen, capping a fine display with an eighth goal in 10 outings.
So, playing at left-back for Chelsea, Chilwell will need to be at his sharpest to deal with Foden. If there is a lack of understanding between Levi Colwill and Chilwell, Foden could take advantage by finding space to operate between the Blues’ centre-back and the left-back.
Chilwell likes to venture forward and join in attacks, due to which he could leave behind plenty of space for Foden to exploit. The Man City star has shown that he can be lethal if afforded time and space on the ball, something the Chelsea left-back has to be wary of.
#Cole Palmer vs Nathan Ake
Cole Palmer has been irreplaceable in this Chelsea side since arriving from Manchester City in the summer. He has the Blues’ standout performer with 10 goals and six assists in 20 league outings, and the English forward will be raring to show Man City what they lost.
After being anonymous as a false 9 in the first half against Palace, Palmer was moved to his natural position on the right in the second half and assisted both late goals for Chelsea. The youngster could start on the right flank against City, and if that happens, Nathan Ake will be tasked with keeping him quiet.
Ake had a strong performance in midweek at Copenhagen and will have to be careful not to afford Palmer too much space to run in behind. The Dutchman is one of Guardiola’s most reliable players and should be highly motivated to deny his former side all three points at the Etihad Stadium.