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Chelsea vs Manchester City: Premier League live scores, blog

5th April, 2017
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 5am AEST
Last Meeting: Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea
Odds: Chelsea $2.30, Draw $3.30, Manchester City $3
What will Chelsea look like this season? (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
Roar Guru
5th April, 2017
39

Chelsea welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge in a true heavyweight clash. Join The Roar from 5am AEST Thursday for all the action in this live blog.

It was all pretty much going to plan for Chelsea over the last few months as they kept a sizable lead at the top of the table and seemed all but certain to end up in May as league champions.

However, a weekend loss to Crystal Palace has suddenly led to a few questions being asked of Antonio Conte’s men. Was it a mere blip, or was the defeat possibly a sign of worse to come?

Tottenham Hotspurs’ recent form (23 points from the last 30 available) has seen them keep in touch with the previous runaway leaders.

Chelsea’s advantage over them is now seven points. If results go the way of Mauricio Pochettino’s side midweek, that could conceivably be cut to just four by the end of the night.

However, Conte and indeed Chelsea have been in similar situations before. The Italian manager repeatedly proved with Juventus over the years that he has the mettle to drive his team to titles.

Chelsea, under Jose Mourinho, were champions just two seasons ago after opening up a huge gap over their rivals early on in that campaign.

Therefore, talk of the title race being blown back open may yet prove to be premature. That doesn’t mean that the pressure will not be felt at Stamford Bridge though. It certainly will be for both teams.

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The consensus of Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge in Manchester has generally been one of unfulfilled potential and disappointment.

Their blistering start to the season saw them tagged as the early favourites, but they fell away badly during the vital winter months.

Recently though, there has been cause for renewed optimism around the Etihad. Guardiola’s attacking set-up is beginning to gel, while the form from the likes of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling has been particularly impressive. Unfortunately, deficiencies at the back have continued to be their Achilles heel.

When these two teams last met in December, it was Chelsea who came away with all three points, inflicting Guardiola’s first home defeat of the season in the process. Revenge may be on the cards.

Yet City’s record in the big games this year has left much to be desired. In ten fixtures they’ve currently played against their direct rivals (the sides in the top seven places) they have won just two of those matches. It is not a record that inspires confidence.

On the back of an incredibly difficult recent run though, it has perhaps gone under the radar that City are on an eight game unbeaten sequence.

Draws with both Liverpool and Arsenal have been punctuated by the dreaded international break, and in both of those games they could feasibly claim that they should have won.

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City are now five points clear in fourth place, and should be looking to improve their record against their top of the table competitors.

In team news, the home side will be without Victor Moses once again as he continues to struggle with a toe injury which kept him out of the last game to Palace.

Meanwhile, talisman Eden Hazard will be closely monitored after the Belgian missed the international fixtures last week with a calf injury.

For City, all long-term absentees like Gabriel Jesus and IIkay Gundogan remain on the sidelines. They are joined there by right back Bacary Sagna who looks set to miss a number of weeks with an abductor complaint. Otherwise, Guardiola has no fresh injuries to deal with as Pablo Zabaleta looks set for a quick return.

Prediction
Chelsea haven’t lost consecutive home league matches in six years. With the title within their grasp it would be difficult to say that they will do so against City this week. Guardiola’s men are in decent form, but this shapes as a must-not-lose for them, with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal breathing down their necks for a place in the top four.

An entertaining draw looks a good bet, with Sergio Aguero getting on the scoresheet – all but two of his six goals against Chelsea have come at Stamford Bridge.

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