Manchester City head to West London to take on Chelsea in the latest round of Premier League matches. The blues could find themselves knocked off the top of the table by either Spurs or Arsenal before they kick-off at Stamford Bridge and the blues will have to be at their absolute best against a Chelsea side, looking for just their second home win of the season.
Form
While they have won three and lost just one of their five games away from Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s home form leaves a lot to be desired. A match against the blues, who have hit 12 goals in their last three matches will not be one they are relishing.
The London side have won just one and lost three of their six home matches so far this season, with their solitary victory at the Bridge coming in August against newly promoted Luton Town.
They suffered back-to-back defeats to Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, before preventing a third loss by drawing 2-2 with Arsenal. In their last home, they suffered another defeat, this time 2-0 to Brentford and in each of their losses, they have failed to score.
Chelsea have scored just six goals in six matches at Stamford Bridge this season while conceding seven at the other end.
Overall, Chelsea sit in tenth place, 12 points behind the blues and already face a battle to qualify for European competition this season.
Danger Men
Chelsea’s biggest threat up front has emerged in the form of Nicholas Jackson. The Senegal striker has hit six goals this season, however, three of those came in Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Spurs last weekend. Five of his goals have come in the Premier League and the striker has attempted the most shots at goal with 28. He has a shot accuracy of 61%, but a conversion rate of just 21%, one of the lowest in the Chelsea side.
Former blue Raheem Sterling has hit four this season, with his last goal coming at the beginning of the month in a League Cup tie at home to Blackburn. His last Premier League goal was during Chelsea’s 4-1 win at Burnley and his only home goals arrived against Luton in August.
Another former blue, Cole Palmer, is leading the line with assists. He has four so far and has also knocked in three goals in ten games. he has created 12 chances to date and the blues will need to keep their former teammate under close observation.
Conor Gallagher has created 17 chances, three of which have been taken. He also has attempted the highest number of passes, with 773, with 705 being completed, giving him the highest pass accuracy of 91%.
The Boss
Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is the fourth manager this year to try and bring success to Stamford Bridge. 2023 started with Graham Potter, until Bruno Saltor took charge for a few days following Potter’s sacking. Frank Lampard returned to the club for the remainder of the season before Pochettino’s appointment.
The Argentine has managed 14 games so far, won seven and lost four, giving him a win ratio of 50%.
Last Time at the Bridge
City’s last visit to Stamford Bridge ended with a 1-0 victory to the blues. A Riyad Mahrez goal in the 63rd minute was enough for City to start the year with a win.
