Manchester City Vs Chelsea: Efforts To Return To Winning Path

JAKARTA - Manchester City hopes to return to winning ways when they host Chelsea in the big match Premier League England at the Etihad Stadium, Sunday, January 26, 2025 in the morning WIB. The fight between the two elite teams is fighting for positions in the top four or the Champions League zone.

Man City was wary. The team's performance was still unstable even though they were able to win big wins by beating West Ham United 4-1 and then finishing Ipswich Town 6-0 in domestic competitions.

Only Man City also lost points again when they were detained by Brentford 2-2. Disappointing results because Erling Haaland et al are already 2-0 up. But the hosts were able to catch up and equalize.

The same situation occurred when Man City visited Paris Saint-Germain's headquarters in the Champions League. They even reaped heartbreaking results. Winning two goals, but PSG managed to get up. Not only equalizing the score, the French Ligue 1 club managed to turn things around and won 4-2.

The defeat in Paris put Man City out of the playoffs zone. There is no choice if you want to qualify for the last 16 even though through the playoffs, Man City must win the last match of the Champions League stage against Club Brugge.

The problem is, before struggling with Brugge, Pep Guardiola's team had to deal with Chelsea first. Obviously, it's not an easy matter to face the Blues who are on fire. Even though their performance is not fully stable, Chelsea is still a team that has quality and depth.

Chelsea's success in being ranked fourth and in the Champions League zone is proof that a touch of Enzo Maresca's manager has given satisfactory results. In the last match in the Premier League, Chelsea beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1.

Chelsea's impressive appearance made Man City wary. At the first meeting at Stamford Bridge, Man City did win 2-0. It's just that it can't be a benchmark for the two teams when they meet again at Etihad. Moreover, Guardiola still can't field the best squad because a number of players will miss out.

Finally, defender Ruben Dias suffered an injury in the match against PSG. He even asked to be withdrawn because he could not continue the match.

If he doesn't recover until before the match, Dias is certain to be absent. Another defender who is in danger of being absent, Nathan Ake who has not yet recovered. Meanwhile, Kyle Walker has moved to AC Milan.

However, Man City already has three new players, Omar Marmoush, Abdokodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis. They are likely to make their debut even though they started by sitting on the bench. Khusanov and Vitor Reis who both occupy the back position have the opportunity to appear in that match.

Guardiola doesn't seem to have changed the composition of the players. Haaland is back to starting up front. He was supported by Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Savinho.

Meanwhile, Chelsea again relied on goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Although several blunders led to goals, Sanchez was still the first choice under the bar.

He was escorted by Malo Gusto, Tosin Adarbioyo and Marc Cucurella. In the middle of the midfielder Moises Caicedo, it was his first choice if Enzo Fernandez could not appear due to a muscle injury.

Striker Nicolas Jackson is the first choice up front. He is supported by duo ex-Man City, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho.

Player Composition Forecast

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Bernardo; Foden, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Dewsbury-Hall, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson