English Premier League giants Chelsea will on Thursday night welcome Manchester City at the Stamford Bridge Stadium in a must-win match for both teams.
Following a poor run of form, which has led to unprecedented calls for Graham Potter to step down, the Blues manager will be under immense pressure to get maximum points on home turf against the defending champions, who will also be vying for three points in an attempt to catch up with runaway leaders Arsenal.
Both teams go into the match coming from disappointing results. Recently, Chelsea played to a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Nottingham Forest and City also had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Frank Lampard’s Everton.
Potter admitted that Chelsea’s display at the City Ground, the home of Nottingham Forest, was not “good enough”, and would have been unfair if they picked up more than one point in that game.
The former Brighton Hove & Albion boss will be eager to turn the corner and prove his worth, with his side currently occupying a mid-table position on number 10 with 25 points.
Three days after the Premier League clash, the two sides will meet in an FA Cup third-round tie, which will see Raheem Sterling returning to the Etihad Stadium for the first time since his departure from the Citizens during the summer transfer window.
Chelsea possible starting XI:
Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta; Thiago Silva; Kalidou Koulibaly; Marc Cucurella; Jorginho; Mateo Kovacic; Raheem Sterling; Mason Mount; Christian Pulisic; Kai Haverts
Manchester City possible starting XI:
Ederson; Rico Lewis; John Stones; Akanji; Nathan Ake; Ilkay Gundogan; Rodri; Kevin De Bruyne; Bernado Silva; Erling Haaland; Riyad Mahrez
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