Star Match of the Weekend , Match Day LIVE/Match Week 25. English Premiership League Man City Vs Chelsea .. Previews and Analysis /Predictions .

The Etihad stadium is the battle ground when these two giants in English Football lock horns .After 90 days when last they played a 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge , City will like to close in on league leaders , Liverpool whonis at away to Brentford , while Chelsea chases a spot in Europe next season , as the season gradually comes to an end.

The football hostilities and rivalry between these formidable foes in the round leather game is legendary and dates back to the Roman Abranovicj era. .During Pep Guardiola’s early years at City, Mauricio Pochettino proved to be one of his most worthy adversaries in the dugout, with his Tottenham side dramatically knocking City out of the 2018/19 Champions League.

Chelsea have the edge in the historical head-to-head, although Man City have closed that up with a dominant run over recent domestic fixtures.
The Londoners’ most recent win came in the most significant of the combined 175 meetings with City, when Kai Havertz scored the only goal in the 2021 Champions League final.
That wasn’t the first time the Blues had halted a much-fancied City on the European in 1970/71.
Then on November 12, 2019, the latest of the teams’ 41 draws ended with City lifting silverware. A goalless stalemate in the 2019 Carabao Cup final was decided on penalties, with current Chelsea man Raheem Sterling dispatching the decisive spot-kick into the top corner.

Pochettino is now trying to fashion something cohesive from a youthful, gifted and expensively assembled Chelsea squad amassed in a hurry under Todd Boehly’s ownership.
But it was the Roman Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge that propelled Chelsea to the forefront of the English game, while City’s own mega-rich owners have bankrolled an imperial period.

Manchester City have won five of the past six Premier League titles and the next step in their bid for four in a row is Chelsea’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
If the game lives up to the first encounter between the sides this season, we’ll be in for a treat.

League fixtures keeps coming in thick and thin for Man City as they try to renact their treblle win last season , though they have had some set backs in this second half of the campaign.
The Citizens have won 11 matches in all competitions , a winning run that started in the World Club Cup last December and also extended with a Champions league away win against minnows FC Copenhagen last week , Goals form Bernardo Silva , Kevin De Bryne and Phil Foden ensires that City takes a two goal lead into the second leg of the round of 16 matches in the UCL. Their focus shifts to the EPl where they are want to close the gap between them and Liverpool , who also have a match at away to Brentford , Saturday , if Liverpool wins today there will be a fve point gap , so Ciry has to win and win well too .

Man City are gearing up for three home fixtures in their next four and will welcome a return to the Etihad where they have not lost any of their last 22 Premier League games. They have also won six of their last eight top-flight home meetings with Saturday’s opponents Chelsea, keeping a clean sheet in five of those victories in the process.
Clean sheets have been hard to come by for the Citizens this season, though, as Guardiola’s side have conceded in 11 of their last 13 Premier League games, and they can ill-afford to show any defensive frailties this weekend against a Chelsea side who fired four goals past them in the reverse fixture and have since netted eight times in their last three games this month.

Chelsea’s frustratingly inconsistent form has been the catalyst behind their mid-table mediocrity so far this season, and after suffering two four-goal defeats to Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers, the pressure has since somewhat eased on head coach Mauricio Pochettino following two important 3-1 away wins over Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Five days after beating Villa in an FA Cup fourth-round replay with arguably their best performance of the season to date, the Blues were starring down the barrel of defeat against Palace on Monday as they trailed at half time after failing to register a single shot on target despite boasting 80% possession at Selhurst Park.
However, Chelsea came out a different side after the interval and their efforts were rewarded as ex-Eagles man Conor Gallagher bookended the second half with a brace, before Enzo Fernandez sealed the victory deep into stoppage time.
Having posted 10 wins, four draws and 10 defeats from 24 Premier League games, few can be surprised to see Chelsea languishing in 10th place, but securing European football for next season remains a possibility for the Blues as they are only two points behind Newcastle United in seventh, and seven points adrift of Manchester United in sixth – two teams Chelsea are still to play on home soil.
Pochettino and co must find consistency quickly if they wish to climb the table, but success on Saturday could prove challenging as they have failed to win any of their last seven meetings with Man City since securing a famous 4-4 draw at Stamford , which was more or less a gift to the Blues on a fairly tedious afternoon in London .

Injury concerns is also a worry for both teams today as most of rheir first team players may not be available , while those who have been sideliined for weeks will be available . Mateo Kovavic is likely to be play today after missing two games as well as Sergio Gomez back too..Ake set to return in the absence of Gvidalol , while Ruben dias will be drafted to the center back with either John stones or Manuel Akanji. who is likely to to be drifted to the midfield to partner Rodri .

Jeremy Doku and Foden are set to battle for a start on the left wing in the absence of Grealish, while Julian Alvarez will hope to return to the first XI after being rested in midweek, although he could face competition from De Bruyne and Bernardo, if fit, to play in behind Erling Haaland, who scored a brace at Stamford Bridge earlier this season. ,

For Chelsea Thiago Silva is ruled out with a groin injury sustained against Palace, so Levi Colwill is set to return to the first XI to partner Axel Disasi at centre-back.
Carney Chukwuemeka twisted his ankle in training earlier this week and is also unavailable for selection, joining Benoit Badiashile (groin), Wesley Fofana, (knee), Marc Cucurella (ankle), Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu (all hamstring) in the treatment room.

However, the Blues will be boosted by the return of goalkeeper Roberto Sanchez, who has recovered from a knee injury and is expected to take the place of Dorde Petrovic between the sticks.
Pochettino has used former Man City man Cole Palmer as a false nine in recent weeks, but that decision is yet to be vindicated and the Argentine could instead move the youngster – who scored a last-minute penalty against the Citizens earlier this season – back over to the right flank, allowing either Nicolas Jackson or Christopher Nkunku to lead the line – the latter scored a hat-trick with former club RB Leipzig in his last visit to the Etihad.

Predictions Man City – -3-1 or 2-1 .

Happy Viewing and Happy Weekend .

UcheFreetips .