Chelsea vs. Man City: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Man City have an excellent recent record against Chelsea in the Premier League.

Nothing could separate the sides back in January. | Visionhaus/Getty Images.

Two Premier League behemoths lock horns at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon when Manchester City visit Chelsea for a critical Premier League encounter.

Man City are seeking to build upon impressive results either side of the March international break, beating Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final prior to demolishing Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals. Confidence is now sky high as they return to Premier League action hoping to close the gap on table toppers Arsenal after their defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Cityzens are currently six points behind the Gunners with two games in hand over their rivals—including Sunday’s trip to west London—and certainly have form on their side ahead of the journey to Chelsea.

Liam Rosenior’s men are fighting their own battle, seeking to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish. However, despite the seven-goal annihilation of League One Port Vale last weekend, they have still lost four of their last five games and sit narrowly outside the qualification spots.

Chelsea will be the underdogs this weekend, even on home turf, but they boast the talent to cause major issues for Pep Guardiola’s side.

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Chelsea vs. Man City Score Prediction

Man City Strengthen Title Fight

City could pile more misery on their hosts. | Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images

The reverse fixture ended all square at the Etihad Stadium at the beginning of the calendar year and Chelsea would be delighted to walk away from Sunday’s encounter with a point. Unfortunately for Rosenior and his players, defeat looks the most probable outcome.

City have been simply too devastating in recent weeks, blowing away high-level opposition with the kind of ease associated with previous iterations of Guardiola’s Cityzens. Defensively they remain conquerable, but their attacking firepower can seldom be contained.

If Chelsea were in blistering form, then this would be an undeniably tense contest, but the Blues’ struggles hint at a relatively routine City triumph.

• Head-to-head record: For Chelsea, this has been an awkward fixture on their own patch. The Blues have been beaten by City in four of the last five duels at Stamford Bridge—the other a thrilling 4–4 draw—and haven’t won against their upcoming opponents in the Premier League since May 2021.
• Chelsea defensive woes: Prior to the 7–0 win over Port Vale, Rosenior’s men had conceded 12 in their previous four matches as an injury-hit defense was pushed from pillar to post. They haven’t kept a clean sheet against top-tier English opposition since beating Brentford 2–0 in mid-January—one of only four shutouts in 20 games under Rosenior.
• Reinvigorated City offense: Having scored six across meetings with Arsenal and Liverpool, Guardiola’s menacing front line appears to have made a return to form. Rayan Cherki is purring, Antoine Semenyo continues to soar and Erling Haaland’s hat trick in the FA Cup could re-energize the Norwegian for the run-in.

Prediction: Chelsea 1–3 Man City

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Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs. Man City

Chelsea have key absentees in their backline. | FotMob

Rosenior has confirmed that no new injuries were sustained last weekend, but there are also no returnees. That means the backline must continue without Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill, all of whom will be sorely missed against City’s devastating forwards.

Backup goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen is unlikely to feature on the Chelsea bench at the weekend due to a groin injury, the same applying to winger Jamie Gittens courtesy of a hamstring problem as his fitness issues persist.

Two players are suspended for the City visit. Mykhailo Mudryk is still sidelined as he awaits the final verdict of his potential doping ban, while Enzo Fernández has been internally punished for his comments over a possible Real Madrid transfer during the international break. The Argentine also missed the Port Vale game, but will return next weekend having apologized to Rosenior for his conduct.

Chelsea predicted lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gusto, Fofana, Tosin, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Estêvão, Palmer, Neto; Pedro.

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Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Chelsea

City won’t make many alterations from recent wins. | FotMob.

City have fewer issues than Chelsea, but are also without a host of defensive assets. Center backs Rúben Dias and Joško Gvardiol are certain to be missing on Sunday, while John Stones appears likely to sit out the fixture despite his return nearing.

That means Abdukodir Khusanov, who has made significant improvements since a nightmare debut against Chelsea last season, will partner former Blues defender Marc Guéhi in the center of the defense.

Guardiola is unlikely to make many changes from the winning formula stumbled upon in convincing domestic cup victories during recent weeks, but Gianluigi Donnarumma will return between the posts.

Man City predicted lineup vs. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O’Reilly; Rodri, Silva; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland.

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What Time Does Chelsea vs. Man City Kick Off?

• Location: London, England
• Stadium: Stamford Bridge
• Date: Sunday, April 12
• Kick-off Time: 4:30 p.m. BST / 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT
• Referee: Chris Kavanagh
• VAR: Paul Howard

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How to Watch Chelsea vs. Man City on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV Channel/Live Stream
United States	USA Network, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo
United Kingdom	Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network 2 Canada
Mexico	FOX Mexico, FOX One

• MORE: Full list of Premier League broadcasters around the world

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