CHELSEA and Man City go head to head in the Premier League’s first real heavyweight clash this Sunday.
It doesn’t get much tougher than this as far as first games go, with new Blues boss Enzo Maresca having to navigate a bout with four-in-a-row champions Man City at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca, having never taken charge of a Premier League game before, will be hoping his bloated squad can turn it on against former colleague Pep Guardiola.
The Italian worked alongside Pep at Man City, learning his craft and earning his stripes before venturing out to be a manager himself.
Now a Hollywood script-like welcome to Premier League management awaits him for his first competitive game in charge of the Blues since taking over from Mauricio Pochettino.
But it wouldn’t be Hollywood without a star-studded cast, so naturally Chelsea have splashed the cash this summer brining in big names such as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Pedro Neto.
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However, their pre-season preparations have felt a little low-budget rather than box-office smash, with the London club winning only one of their six warm up friendlies.
For Manchester City it’s a start as you mean to go on kind of situation.
The Cityzens’ trophy cabinet is looking almost as jam-packed as the Chelsea dressing room, after they added even more silverware last weekend with their penalty shootout heroics in the Community Shield.
There’s no doubt that City will go into the game as favourites, as they do in every match they play, but there could still be reason for optimism for the Stamford Bridge faithful.
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That’s because no team has earned more points from their opening matches of the Premier League season than Chelsea (67).
While both league clashes between these two sides ended in a share of the spoils last term.
However, it’s important to note that these two teams faced each other earlier this month as part of their pre-season tours of the United States.
A game which saw Erling Haaland net a hat-trick and City walk away 4-2 victors.
What’s their form like?
Chelsea’s pre-season tour left a lot to be desired with a 3-0 victory over Club America their only win during the preparations.
A 2-2 draw with League One outfit Wrexham and a 4-1 battering at the hands of Celtic were particularly concerning for Enzo Maresca’s side.
City will be buoyed, not only by Chelsea’s shocking pre-season efforts, but also by their Community Shield success at Wembley last weekend.
Guardiola’s side didn’t look their strongest against neighbours Man Utd, relying on a late equaliser from Bernardo Silva to force an ultimately fruitful penalty shootout.
However, City started a stripped-backed side with four academy graduates in the starting XI.
Expect Pep to strengthen for the start of the Premier League campaign.
What is the team news and any injuries to worry about?
Cole Palmer is expected to slot straight into the attack despite having minimal pre-season minutes courtesy of his Euro 2024 adventure with England.
And Chelsea’s talisman could be joined by in-form Christopher Nkunku and summer signing Pedro Neto.
However, captain Reece James is suspended for three matches having picked up a red card in last season’s Premier League finale – the full-back is also injured so he would have missed out regardless.
Elsewhere, Oscar Bobb, James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly could all be handed starts following their impressive cameos in the Community Shield win against Manchester United.
Summer signing Savinho could also be handed some minutes with Julian Alvarez now out of the picture.
Kevin de Buryne has been tipped to reappear in the starting eleven, but Phil Foden, Rodri and Jack Grealish all look set to miss out once again.
Who will be the star men?
How do you look past Cole Palmer when it comes to Chelsea?
The England hero was their stand-out performer last season scoring 25 goals and registering 15 assists in all competitions, expect him to kick on once again this term.
A new contract extension tying him down to the Bridge until 2033, could also give him extra motivation to put a show on for the home fans.
As for Man City it would be easy to point at Erling Haaland or Kevin de Bruyne to be the star man.
While Jack Grealish had looked sharp in pre-season before an injury made him a major doubt for Sunday’s game.
Instead it’s Jeremy Doku who could cause Chelsea some problems.
Maresca is keen on playing with an inverted full-back, giving Doku plenty of space on the flanks to make something happen.
What have the managers said?
Enzo Maresca is convinced his side is growing game-by-game under his stewardship and will be hoping that they are ready to take on the champions on Sunday.
Speaking after a 1-1 pre-season draw with Inter Milan, Maresca said: “I’m very happy because I can see that the team is improving, on the ball and off the ball.”
Adding: “Absolutely we can see clear results from our work. Today we could see that we tried to keep the ball.
“Inter are special at defending, but for sure the team is already doing well. It’s the most important thing, for sure.
“With time this team is going to get better and better. We started just one month ago so I can see clearly that the team is improving.”
While Pep Guardiola has challenged youngster Oscar Bobb to show more and earn a spot in the first team.
Speaking after the Community Shield, he said: “We want more. Sometimes he had the chance to take the ball and go and he was a little bit passive.
“He has something unique; be stopped then go, first one or two steps, right or left are unbelievable.
“The goal, how he turns and make the cross, huge quality. He has incredible values and work ethic. He has the ability to do it and he can do it more regularly.”
SunSport prediction
It’s going to be a baptism of fire for Enzo Maresca as he takes charge of his first ever Premier League match as a manager.
And although he’s got a home advantage and a squad full of mega-money superstars, it feels like it could be too early to topple a giant like this Man City side.
Pep Guardiola’s team are a well-oiled machine and that will kick back into the routine of winning as soon as the first ball is kicked.
Chelsea 1-3 Man City
When is Chelsea vs Man City?
- Chelsea vs Man City will take place on Sunday, August 18.
- It is scheduled to kick off at 4:30pm BST.
- Stamford Bridge in West London is the allocated arena for this blockbuster match and it can host approximately 40,341 fans.
- Erling Haaland’s hat-trick fired City to a 4-2 win when the sides last met earlier this month for a pre-season friendly.
What TV channel is it on and can it be live streamed?
- Chelsea vs Man City will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League in the UK.
- Coverage is expected to commence from 4pm BST – 30 minutes before kick-off on both channels.
- NOW TV subscription holders can stream the entire action through the app.
- Alternatively, SunSport will have minute-by-minute coverage of the game through our live blog.
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What are the odds?
- Chelsea to win 29/10
- Draw 3/1
- Man City to win 5/6
*Odds courtesy of William Hill are correct at time of publication
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
