The two blue sides will face each other on Sunday afternoon at the Etihad. Manchester City will look to avenge their December defeat against their London-based adversary, Chelsea. Thus, it should make for an exciting and contentious game of football with deep Premier League implications.
Scene: a late afternoon in Northwest England, a dark exterior across the sky, rain enveloping the skyline, and soaking the pitch. The Citizens faithful bedecked in powder blue, hollering for their team. Visions of greatness in their minds, the hopes of either furthering their lead in the title race or simply regaining it, dependent on Liverpool’s match on Saturday.
Chelsea, with Maurizio Sarri at the helm, is anticipating a chance of once again defeating the reigning champions after a decisive December 8th blanking of Pep Guardiola’s side at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea is, of course, a much more formidable side at home, but the reason for their rampant success in the last matchup was them seizing the moment. In other words, they did not have any wasted opportunities on legitimate scoring chances.
The task will be more difficult for Chelsea this time, due to some away struggles as well as the possible vigour with which City will play. When playing Liverpool at the Etihad, Pep’s squad saw an opportunity to strike and reduced the Reds’ lead. They played with an extreme force and were able to do so.
Chelsea also has extreme stakes in this game, as these are vital points for them to finish in the top four in the table. If a club does not have a true chance of winning the league they should be content with finishing in a Champions League slot. The battle between them, Arsenal, and Manchester United will remain contentious.
Regardless of the result, the match will make interesting viewing for the neutrals, as the Chelsea and City fans will be too anxious with the end result.