In a dress rehearsal for the forthcoming all-English Champions League final, Manchester City hosts Chelsea in a Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. On 4-1 aggregate score Pep Guardiola’s side surpassed last year’s runners-up Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea defeated Real Madrid 3-1 over two legs to set up a European showdown with their counterparts.
Team news
Manchester City lineup: Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Mendy; Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Aguero, Sterling
For Saturday’s match Pep Guardiola may shuffle his team, although City had an additional 24 hours to rest and train for this game than Chelsea.
Aymeric Laporte will undoubtedly be called into the starting lineup against Chelsea after John Stones was suspended.
Joao Cancelo can return to the starting lineup. Rodri could reclaim his place from Fernandinho after he was unexpectedly dropped against PSG in midweek.
Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden have been in superb shape recently, but Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, and Gabriel Jesus are all good backup choices.
Chelsea lineup: Mendy; Zouma, Rudiger, Christensen; James, Jorginho, Kante, Alonso; Mount, Pulisic; Havertz
Chelsea played against Real Madrid on Wednesday for Champions League semi-final, following that Thomas Tuchel will have to rotate his squad a little on Saturday.
Cesar Azpilicueta will be absent on weekend match as he was noticed having a hard time.
At the Etihad, Christian Pulisic, Kurt Zouma, Hakim Ziyech, Marcos Alonso, and Reece James are among the most likely starters.
Tuchel is aiming for a midweek return and would like Mateo Kovacic to return to relieve the pressure on Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, but he.
Prediction
City is also aiming to win the Premier League apart from the Champions League. On the other hand, Chelsea is fighting to reach the top four if they lose to Pep Guardiola’s side in the final. The Blues currently have a three-point lead over fifth place.
Before the European prize is decided both teams would be wary of giving too many away and with both coming off of grueling midweek matches, a low-scoring affair could be in the cards.
We expect Tuchel’s undefeated away record to begin with a score tie against their Champions League final opponents. City hasn’t had a flawless run at an empty Etihad this season, while Chelsea has benefited greatly from the home advantage phenomenon being washed out in the absence of spectators, so we expect Tuchel’s unbeaten away record to continue with a score draw against their Champions League final opponents.
Our Prediction: Manchester City 1 – 1 Chelsea
