Frank Lampard’s Chelsea will be looking to build on their comeback win against Aston Villa at the weekend when they host second-placed Manchester City on Thursday evening in an 8:15 pm kickoff.
Chelsea Aim to Consolidate a Top Four Finish With Victory at Manchester City
Within Touching Distance
With Manchester United only managing a draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Friday night and Chelsea winning on Sunday, the Blues were able to open up a five-point gap over their nearest challengers in the race to secure the final lucrative Champions League place.
They currently sit in fourth on 51 points, just three behind third-placed Leicester City after they only picked up a point at Watford on Saturday. If Chelsea are able to defeat Pep Guardiola’s side they will have taken a giant step to guarantee their place in next year’s edition of the Champions League.
It is, however, easier said than done, given Chelsea’s mediocre home form and the brilliance of Manchester City, who made light work of Arsenal on their return to Premier League action, scoring three and dominating proceedings from start to finish. The Citizens followed that up with a 5-0 victory over Burnley.
Chelsea have only won seven of their fifteen games at Stamford Bridge this season, and have looked unconvincing at home for large spells during the campaign.
They pushed City close in their last encounter at the Etihad, taking an early lead thanks to N’golo Kante, before some poor defending was punished by Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez who helped City to come away with all three points.
Chelsea will be encouraged by Kante’s showing against Villa in the defensive midfield role. He helped to break up Villa’s counter-attacks and set Chelsea on their way in their own forays forward, and this will be a key weapon against a rampant Manchester City team, who have already netted 71 goals this campaign.
De Bruyne will be City’s main threat, proving that class is permanent after his man of the match display against Arsenal, where he dictated the tempo while spraying some superb passes despite not having played competitively in over 100 days.
Whilst Lampard’s men must remain tight at the back, they will fancy their chances in attack against City, who this season have looked vulnerable facing a counter-attack. They have already conceded 31 goals this campaign, considerably more than the 23 they conceded in all of last season.
Team News
Jorginho returns from suspension for Chelsea after he served his one-game ban on Sunday for picking up ten yellow cards in the Premier League.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek started his first game for 13 months against Aston Villa after his Achilles injury and he is likely to retain his place after impressing. Fikayo Tomori and Callum Hudson-Odoi are also still doubts after sitting out the Aston Villa game.
For Manchester City, Eric Garcia will face a late fitness test after he was taken to hospital as a precaution following his collision with teammate Ederson against Arsenal.
Leroy Sané is unlikely to feature again during the run-in after rejecting a new deal, a sign that he intends to leave the club this summer.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Manchester City
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