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Chelsea will host reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in a high-profile encounter on Saturday.
Manchester City players will be vying to avenge that heartbreaking loss in the final of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League as they travel to take on Chelsea. The Blues have grown into one of Europe's most formidable defensive units under Thomas Tuchel.
Meanwhile, Manchester City have fluctuated between the dominant and the wimpish in the 2021-22 season so far.
They suffered a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day of the Premier League season. However, they bounced back strongly registering back-to-back 5-0 wins over Norwich City and Arsenal.
But an unconvincing 1-0 win over Leicester City and goalless draw against Southampton have exposed some of City's weaknesses.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have conceded just a single goal so far this season and that came from the spot in the game against Liverpool. They definitely look like the team to beat this season.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Manchester City will struggle against Chelsea this Saturday.
#5 Chelsea are much better rested than Manchester City
Thomas Tuchel used the EFL Cup game in midweek against Aston Villa to rest several of his starters. Romelu Lukaku and Mason Mount featured off the bench while Kai Havertz and Thiago Silva took a breather.
The likes of Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Marcos Alonso, Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta were all rested as well. The Blues also got the result they wanted, albeit via a penalty shootout.
Pep Guardiola chose the EFL Cup fixture against Wycombe to put some minutes into some of his players who haven't featured extensively so far this season.
The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling played the length of the game. Ferran Torres was yet another high-profile starter. Out of the five players, at least four are tipped to start the game against Chelsea.
But the Blues are well rested for the encounter and that could prove to be a point of difference between the two sides.
#4 The Fernandinho single midfield pivot unlikely to work against Chelsea
One of the main reasons why Manchester City struggled in their 0-0 draw against Southampton was due to how their rhythm was disrupted in midfield. Southampton pressed Fernandinho quite intensely whenever he had possession and aggressively cut the passing lanes available to him.
Fernandinho showed his age that day and his passing and decision making were suspect throughout. With Rodri likely to be sidelined for the game against Chelsea, City might have to stick with Fernandinho.
An alternative option would be to deploy Gundogan in place of Fernandinho but that's a plan that didn't work out in the Champions League final against Chelsea. So Pep Guardiola has quite a decision to make here on Saturday.
#3 Romelu Lukaku's form and a depleted Manchester City defence
Manchester City centre-backs Aymeric Laporte and John Stones are doubts for the game against Chelsea. Nathan Ake has been partnered with Ruben Dias in recent weeks. That wouldn't usually be much of a cause for concern but the fact that they will be going up against an in-form Romelu Lukaku will worry Guardiola.
The pressing system that Ralph Hassenhuttl used to disrupt Manchester City's rhythm last weekend is similar to the ones used by Liverpool and Chelsea. If Chelsea can win the ball back in midfield and move the ball to Lukaku, he can cause a lot of problems for City's defence.
Chelsea are excellent at transitions and Lukaku's hold-up play will come handy against Manchester City's defence. Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Marcos Alonso and Mateo Kovacic are all runners and City will need to be extra cautious about conceding possession.
It's safe to say that Manchester City haven't yet faced as potent an attacking unit as Chelsea's since the start of the 2021-22 season. As a result, they could be really exposed here.
#2 Manchester City have struggled to break down organized defences
The Blues have transformed into one of the most solid defensive units in Europe under Thomas Tuchel. They've conceded a single goal this season and it came from the spot after they were reduced to 10-men against Liverpool.
Tuchel's men are yet to concede a goal from open play in the 2021-22 Premier League season. Manchester City struggled to break down Leicester City's defence two weeks ago. They were lucky to come away with all three points from the King Power Stadium.
They were forced to the end of their wits against Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester City have struggled against organized defensive units this season and Chelsea could be their toughest test yet.
#1 Chelsea have won four of their last five games against Manchester City
Chelsea's 3-4-2-1 formation allows them to play compactly. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City love to play through the middle. Southampton used a 4-2-2-2 shape to force the reigning Premier League champions to go wide and not get up to their usual tricks.
This also meant that whenever they got possession, the Saints had plenty of passing options.
Ralph Hassenhuttl explained the same in his post-match interview.
"We did it so well during the first half. 4-2-2-2 was the shape and we did that perfectly. It works against Pep fantastically because he wants to play football. It's tough against any team that tries to play through."
Chelsea are all too familiar with this routine. That is exactly how they scored the winning goal in the Champions League final last term. They transitioned from defence to attack swiftly. Edouard Mendy shifted the ball out to the left flank where Mount collected it and immediately played Havertz into space.
The 22-year-old was clear all of a sudden and found himself in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. There was a huge gap in the City defence and that typified City's inability to make defensive transitions at the same speed that Chelsea do it.
Manchester City have struggled against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool and Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea. They have lost all of their last three games against Chelsea and have found them extremely difficult to break down. The story is unlikely to be much different at Stamford Bridge this Saturday.
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