Chelsea travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday evening, hoping to make it three wins in a row on the road.
The Blues scraped back into tenth spot on the table following a dramatic late 3-1 comeback victory over London rivals Crystal Palace on Monday night. Before that, they had dumped Aston Villa out of the FA Cup with a 3-1 success at Villa Park.
However, Mauricio Pochettino’s side face a daunting task against Man City, who are on a nine-game winning run across all competitions.
Chelsea Team News
Chelsea suffered a big blow on Monday when veteran defender Thiago Silva was forced off with a groin problem at the hour mark against Crystal Palace. He joins Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile, Reece James, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana on the sidelines. Malo Gusto was looking in pain against Palace as well, although Mauricio Pochettino quelled fears by confirming that it was just tiredness.
Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah were back on the bench after recovering from their respective injury problems, with the former coming on as a substitute in the second half for the injured Silva at Selhurst Park.
Robert Sanchez is available again and the manager will have a decision to make when it comes to selecting who will be stationed between the sticks.
Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Manchester City (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Djordje Petrovic probably faces his biggest test of the season on Saturday when Chelsea travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on Man City. He must produce big moments in goal when called upon.
Defence
Malo Gusto should be fine to start against Man City. He will retain his place at right-back in the Chelsea lineup, while Ben Chilwell hopes to impress from the opposite side of the defence.
Fit-again Levi Colwill, who has struggled this season playing in an unorthodox left-back role in Chilwell’s absence, will now get the chance to stake a claim in his favoured position alongside Axel Disasi in the Chelsea lineup. The duo have to be at their absolute best to contain Erling Haaland.
Midfield
Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher have established themselves as Mauricio Pochettino’s preferred midfield trio. With Caicedo and Fernandez holding the fort, Gallagher will try pulling the strings from the No.10 role in the Chelsea lineup and get on the scoresheet—as he did against Palace on Monday.
The trio must work well as a unit to get some semblance of control in the game whilst disrupting City’s free-flowing football.
Attack
Noni Madueke could be benched after he made the mistake leading to Palace’s opener on Monday, with Cole Palmer taking his spot on the right flank in the Chelsea lineup. Palmer, who grabbed two assists against the Eagles, will be raring to prove a point against his former employers.
Likewise, Raheem Sterling will look to haunt Man City. Having come off the bench last time out, he could be handed a start on the left wing, with Nicolas Jackson leading the Chelsea attack.
Christopher Nkunku, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Madueke will be the offensive weapons available on the bench for the Blues.
