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The El-Classico might have stolen all the eyeballs over the weekend but a match that the English Premier League fans will be looking forward will be the clash between two of the biggest spending sides in the country at the moment. Manchester City and Chelsea will square off in Stamford Bridge on Sunday with just one point separating the two in the league table. The match promises to produce fireworks as two of the celebrated names in the management business are all set to layout their tactical works on the field. Though both teams come into the game with a good form Jose Mourinho’s side might have an upper hand over City and could find themselves in a better spot over the Citizens early in the season itself and here’s why
Chelsea’s form > Manchester City’s form
Both the teams secured a mid-week champions League victory but Chelsea did it in style. Winning six games out of their last seven, the team is sky-high on confidence while City has won the last three games. The Blues also has been in on the goals with Fernando Torres showing signs of a comeback, Demba Ba impressing against Norwich and Samuel Eto’o finding his instincts. City also boast a great attacking line up but that line up will be up against the club with the best defensive record in the league leaving wide open ground for the Blues to continue their excellent form.
Jose Mourinho’s better record over his counterpart
Always has the last smile over Pelligrini
It will be the eighth time that the mangers will be facing each other and Mourinho has a clear edge over Pellegrini with the following stats.
Played: 7
Mourinho wins: 5
Draws 1
Pellegrini wins: 1
Though the Premier league is a place where the stats are thrown out of the window, when it comes to The Special One, it’s better if we stick with them. While Pellegrini stays in stealth mode mostly, Mourinho’s charm and charisma could lift the home fans and the players at the same time and giving the team a much better edge over their opponents.
Chelsea flourishes at home while City falls on the road
Chelsea’s fortress
In his first spell at the club, Mourinho was known for his excellent home form which saw the club maintain an unbeaten run of 64 games at the Bridge. And he has left the same impression this time around with Chelsea yet to drop points at home this season. Coupled with the disastrous away form of Manchester city, who have just got 4 points from their four away matches. City also conceded 7 goals from those matches leaving the door wide open for the Chelsea attackers to capitalize on their misery.
The Blues have a Hazardous Belgian
Ready to fire
With so many Belgians finding their feet in the League, Eden Hazard has been one of the stand out performers recently. It might be a bit unfair to pick individual talents out as both teams have a wealth of exceptional quality players, but Hazard has produced a newly found rhythm to his game after the match against Tottenham. He scored a goal against Norwich and followed up with a brace and an assist in Cardiff City before getting his name in the score sheet against Schalke. His linkups with Fernando Torres and the rest of the wolf pack also have been brilliant recently giving Pellegrini a headache that needs to be cured and speaking of Belgians…
Manchester City will be missing their inspirational Belgian
The big loss
“Kompany is really important for City. Because when he plays they win and when he doesn’t play they lose, often,” said Eden Hazard.
And that pretty much sums up the importance of Vincent Kompany. He has evolved into a John Terry like figure in City and his absence will be the biggest blow to the team. Pellegrini will have a tough time choosing a replacement for his captain as Javi Garcia will find it hard to cope with the fire power of Chelsea while Martin Demichelis is fresh from a hamstring injury. At the same time Chelsea will be boosted with the return of Ashley Cole who could prove instrumental in stopping the in-form Sergio Aguero. Without Kompany’s experience in the central defense, City could be more vulnerable to the Chelsea wolf pack that will be looking to tear down the City fort and give the team a much needed lead over their rivals.
The only headache that Chelsea could face is the pairing up of Alvaro Negredo and Aguero along with Yaya Toure. And keeping in mind that the blues have the best defensive record in the league, it might not prove to be a big problem and thus giving the team a clear advantage over City. Either ways it is going to be treat for the eyes of a neutral and the fixture promises to produce fireworks.
