Manchester City vs Chelsea - Five point preview

It is Mourinho vs Pellegrini this Sunday eveningIt’s still early on in the season but football fans all over the world await a mouthwatering clash this Sunday as two of the leading favorites for the 2014-15 Barclays Premier League title face off when Manchester City play hosts to Chelsea. It would also be an emotional evening for Frank Lampard as he stands a chance to make an appearance against his former club, Chelsea. Emotions aside, this match has all the traits to turn out to be a potential title decider.Sunday, September 21, 2014Stadium: Etihad Stadium, ManchesterKickoff: 4PM BST | 8:30 PM ISTLive telecast: Star Sports 4Chelsea had the upper hand in both the home and away legs last season, however Manchester City went on to win the league on the final matchday of the season when they beat West Ham United 2-0. With new objectives and new player signings, the new season has started on a different note for both clubs. We take a look at the five points which could ultimately have an impact on the outcome of the game.

#1 Form - Chelsea\'s perfect start to the league

The little horse of last season, and clearly the bighorse this season,Chelsea have had a scintillating start to this season with 4 wins in 4 games. With Chelsea having one of the best transfer windows in recent years, they clearly have a world class squad at their disposal. For starters, they replaced a strikeforce consisting of Torres, Etoo and Ba with Costa, Remy and Drogba. With further crucial additions to the squad and a tweak in tactics since last season, the Blues have looked a real threat so far this season.

City on the other handhavent hit their stride yet despite having a good preseason. With a shock loss at home against Stoke City and a late goal saving them the blushes at the Emirates Stadium, City are winless in their last 3 fixtures and they will certainly not be pleased to face a title contender at this stage of the season, more so when their opponents havebeen unbeaten in all competitions.

#2 Injuries and FFP

Pellegrini had to loan out Alvaro Negredo to Valencia due to FFP Regulations

Chelsea do not have any injury concerns – their entire squad is available for selection for this crucial game. The defending champions, however, have a couple of injury concerns in their squad with central midfielder Fernando set to miss the game with a groin injury and Stevan Jovetic trying to attain fitness after having missed the crucial Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich due to a hamstring injury.

The UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations have also forced Pellegrini to loan out prolific striker Alvaro Negredo to Valencia. This, in turn, has made him deploy a different set of tactics – a change from his successful 4-4-2 formation to a 4-5-1 / 4-2-3-1 formation.

#3 League Table: Mind the gap, Manuel!

Chelsea are 2 points clear at the top. City are still struggling to hit last season’s form.

As evident from the table, an early gap worth 5 points has already been established between the two title favorites and Man City, with their subpar form, have an added pressure of reducing the gap and maintaining the competition as they look to successfully defend their title. Chelsea, on the other hand, would be looking to continue their fine form and establish a humongous 8 point lead at the top as they look to win their first EPL title in 5 years. Meanwhile, the other top clubs would be hoping to not drop any further points as they look to maintain pressure on Chelsea and Manchester City.

#4 Defence: The Bus is slightly off track

Sergio Aguero – The man among the goals for Man City

Since Chelsea won the Champions League in Munich, they have often been criticised for using the ‘Park the Bus’ tactic. It is no surprise that Chelsea’s defence over the last couple of seasons has been, arguably, the best in the league. However, the defence has looked a tad bit shaky at times this season and having conceded 6 goals in the last 3 games, it surely isn’t looking good for the club from London.

Aguero and company would be wary of the situation and Chelsea’s defence led by John Terry do have a job on their hands. Speaking of defence, with the number of goals they are leaking, any side would have been lagging behind on the table. And that takes us to the final slide of this preview which tells you one of the major reasons why they enjoy a 2 point cushion at the top of the table.

#5 DieGoal Costa!

The agonisingly long wait, which lasted 4 years, to find Didier Drogba’s worthy successor looks to have finally ended for Chelsea. Former Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa has taken the EPL by storm with 7 goals in 4 games, including a hat trick against Swansea City in their 4-2 victory. With the quality of pace and vision possessed by the Chelsea forwards, Pellegrini would probably consider playing Eliaquim Mangala along with Vincent Kompany at the heart of the defence.

Another sensation for The Blues has been former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who recently became the first man in EPL history to bag assists in six consecutive games. Fabregas has also assisted five of the seven goals scored by Diego Costa and the Fabregas-Costa pairing seem to have started drawing comparisons with the then Lampard-Drogba pairing already.

PREDICTIONS:

Man City Lineup: Hart, Zabaleta, Mangala, Kompany, Kolarov, Yaya Toure, Fernandinho, Navas, Nasri, Silva, Aguero

Chelsea Lineup: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Matic, Fabregas, Oscar, Schurrle, Hazard, Costa

Result: A close match till the very end, but with so many factors favoring them, the result should be in their favour. City 1 – 2 Chelsea.