Chelsea vs Manchester City prediction: How will Premier League fixture play out today?
Frank Lampard must decide which combination of attacking players give his Chelsea side the best chance of winning in a big game, as the Blues welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday.
Either team could rise as high as third if they win and goal difference improves enough, but while Lampard is likely to reinstate Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva in defence after criticism of Andreas Christensen last time out, the attack is a different matter as he has yet to come across a consistent trio to work together.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has been in the picture recently but Lampard wants more from him in the final third, while Timo Werner and Kai Havertz are out-of-form and there’s an ongoing battle at centre-forward between Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham.
READ MORE: Premier League fixtures and table – all matches by date and kick-off time
For Manchester City it might be rather straight-forward: who is available to Pep Guardiola? City face being without five players after positive coronavirus tests, but the manager still feels there’s enough talent to compete with the home side in what could be a crucial clash for the title hopes of each team.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game at Stamford bridge.
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content.
Independent Football Newsletter
Get the latest football headlines direct to your inbox twice a week
Read our full mailing list consent terms here
Independent Football Newsletter
Get the latest football headlines direct to your inbox twice a week
Read our full mailing list consent terms here
When is the match?
The game is set to kick off at 4:30pm on Sunday, 3 January at Stamford Bridge.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event and Ultra HD. Subscribers can also stream the match via the Sky Go app.
If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
What is the team news?
Chelsea are without Reece James, so Cesar Azpilicueta should continue at right-back. Hakim Ziyech is back in full training but it remains to be seen whether he’s fit enough for a place on the bench or whether he is given more time to recuperate after injury.
Ederson is self-isolating and both Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus have tested positive for Covid-19, meaning they’ll all miss out. Three other players have likewise received positive results but their identities are unclear at present, making it difficult to predict the City line-up. Eric Garcia is injured, meanwhile.
Predicted line-ups
CHE: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Zouma, T Silva, Chilwell; Kante, Kovacic, Mount; Hudson-Odoi, Giroud, Pulisic
MCI: Steffen; Cancelo, Stones, Dias, Mendy; Rodri, Gundogan; B Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling; Aguero
Odds
Chelsea – 11/5
Draw – 11/4
Man City – 15/11
Prediction
Much could hinge on who City’s mystery absent players are – if De Bruyne, Aguero or Dias are missing, for example, it could significantly boost Chelsea’s hopes of producing a big result. Given how tight it is at the top, it could be a very cagey encounter. Chelsea 1-1 Man City
Source: Read Full Article