Manchester City and Chelsea will face off on 15 January 2022 at 12:30 UTC at Etihad Stadium stadium in Manchester, England. The match is a Premier League encounter.
MATCH INFO
Start date: 15 Jan 2022 18:00
Location: Manchester
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Referee: Craig Pawson, England
Head to Head Record
25/09/21
FT: Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City
30/05/21
FT: Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea
08/05/21
FT: Manchester City 1-2 Chelsea
Manchester City vs Chelsea Preview
Man City were clearly counting their lucky stars against Arsenal, who ultimately lost 2-1 in a contentious match on New Year’s Day. Even Pep Guardiola concedes that his team arguably should have came up second best on the day.
As Mikel Arteta once again fell to his former master, Riyad Mahrez and Rodri’s efforts cancelled out a first-half opener from Bukayo Saka, and while the champions surprised some by fielding an incredibly strong team for the FA Cup amid a COVID-19 cluster, it ensured City’s progress with a 4-1 victory over Swindon Town last Friday.
Man City’s win over Ben Garner’s side was their sixth in a row in all competitions.
Antonio Conte’s former team Chelsea reconnected with Tottenham Hotspur for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday, and the Blues got the job done in North London to advance to the final.
The decision to replace Hugo Lloris with Pierluigi Gollini did not sit well with Spurs fans, and it was a decision that finally backfired when the Italian failed to meet Mason Mount’s corner and Antonio Rudiger headed home to ensure a 3-0 aggregate victory.
The Blues have a chance to win it all against either Liverpool or Arsenal next month, but for now, keeping their title chances alive is the priority.
Manchester City Team News
Before the Swindon triumph, Man City’s COVID-19 outbreak forced seven first-team players – including Guardiola – into isolation, and it’s unclear how many of the nameless group will be able to return.
Two players are said to be affected: Phil Foden and Oleksandr Zinchenko, while John Stones is near to recovering from an injury and Riyad Mahrez is still with Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.
If Zack Steffen is not among the COVID-affected group, Ederson will ready to steal the gloves back from him, while Aymeric Laporte will replace Nathan Ake if Stones is ruled out once more.
Chelsea Team News
Tuchel has no new injury worries for Chelsea’s top-of-the-table encounter, but Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, and AFCON participant Edouard Mendy are all out, while Andreas Christensen has been diagnosed with coronavirus.
Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante both came off the bench against Spurs after recovering from COVID-19 infections and might start at the Etihad, although it will be difficult for the latter to replace Mateo Kovacic or Jorginho.
In midweek, Malang Sarr looked comfortable in a left-hand side role and should start here with Christensen out, while Kai Havertz will compete for a place in the final third over Timo Werner.
Possible Lineups
Manchester City XI:Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; B. Silva, Jesus, Foden
Chelsea XI: Kepa; T. Silva, Rudiger, Sarr; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Mount, Havertz; Lukaku
Watch it live on Sofascore.