Manchester City will hand Chelsea first EPL loss of season
September 24th 2010 14:17
Both teams coming off losses in the Carling Cup need this win bad. I fell Manchester City needs it just a little more. City needs to prove that all the money the spent was worth it and beating the Champs in front of your home crowd will help do that.
Match Preview from Espn.com:
Aside from sporting blue home kits, Manchester City and Chelsea share a number of other similarities. Both can boast billionaire backers and Italian managers who have, at great expense, assembled squads overflowing with mouth-watering talent. Both clubs are also licking their wounds after surprise midweek Carling Cup exits to Premier League newcomers.
But there is one key difference between the two sides: success. Roman Abramovich had to wait just 18 months for the first triumph of his Chelsea tenure, as Jose Mourinho ignited a trophy-laden period that continued with Carlo Ancelotti's Double-winning side of last season. Over at Eastlands, though, English football's fellow nouveau riche club have enjoyed significantly slower progress. After failing to guide City to the holy grail of the Champions League, Roberto Mancini is under big pressure this season. And after seeing how ruthlessly Mark Hughes was shunned, the Italian must be wary of Sheikh Mansour's propensity to wield the axe if dissatisfied.
A draw with Spurs and a convincing win over Liverpool represented an acceptable start to the campaign for City but the subsequent loss to Sunderland and home draw with Blackburn were not in the script. Mancini's side appeared to be back on track after winning comfortably at Wigan last week, but the cup defeat to West Brom - for which the manager was heavily criticised for fielding a weakened team - means that a victory against the
reigning champions would be especially well received. The Italian will welcome back the stars missing in midweek, but he has a defensive crisis with Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany and Kolo Toure the only fit defenders at his disposal.
In contrast to his compatriot's selection problems, Ancelotti will be able to welcome John Terry and Frank Lampard back into his starting line-up, with the latter likely to come in for Brazilan midfielder Ramires. Salomon Kalou and Yossi Benayoun picked up injuries in the 4-3 Carling Cup defeat to Newcastle but, after netting twice against the Magpies, Nicolas Anelka - rested for last weekend's 3-0 victory over Blackpool - will be raring to rejoin Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda in attack. City were the only side to beat the Blues home and away last season, but with Ancelotti's side in imperious form and irresistible in front of goal - with 28 goals in seven games - the champions will be firm favourites against Mancini's patchwork defence.
Manchester City player to watch: Yaya Toure. The Ivorian has quickly established himself as an integral part of Roberto Mancini's midfield since joining his brother Kolo at Eastlands in a £24 million summer move from Barcelona. He has started seven of City's first nine games and with Nigel de Jong and Gareth Barry providing the principal protection for City's back four, Toure has cast aside the defensive shackles attached to him at Barcelona - returning to the marauding midfielder who impressed with five goals and seven assists in his one season at Monaco. Always at ease on the ball and able to seamlessly move the ball from defence to attack with powerful runs and precise passing, the athletic midfielder will need to be monitored closely. John Obi Mikel is the player likely to be tasked with keeping him quiet.
Chelsea player to watch: Florent Malouda. Undoubtedly the in-form player in the Premier League, Malouda has enjoyed a sensational start to the 2010-11 campaign, scoring six times in five games to catapult him halfway towards his final haul of 12 goals from last season and to the top of the scoring charts alongside Dimitar Berbatov and ahead of team-mates Drogba and Kalou. The fleet-footed forward has flourished under Ancelotti and with City's defence in disarray, Malouda has the pace and skill required to take the hosts apart.
Key battle: Carlos Tevez v John Terry. City's captain loves scoring against Chelsea and has done so on each of the last four occasions he has faced them in the league, including strikes for former clubs Manchester United and West Ham. He netted the winner at Eastlands last December and his two goals were the difference between the sides when City triumphed at Stamford Bridge in February, where he gave Terry a torrid time. With the Wayne Bridge saga at its zenith, the Chelsea skipper's display was sloppy and unfocused in that 4-2 defeat and he cannot afford a repeat performance on his return from injury on Saturday. The tenacious Tevez will be ready to pounce on any errors.
Trivia: Chelsea have won at Manchester City's ground more often than any other team in the Premier League era (10 times).
Stats: City had only won two out of 24 Premier League meetings with Chelsea before they took all three points home and away against the Blues last season.
Odds: Man City (3.60), Liverpool (3.30) and the draw (2.1) are available with Bet 365, while backing goal-hungry Florent Malouda to open the scoring looks attractive at 8.50.
Prediction: If City were at full strength then this would have been a close call, but a makeshift backline is likely to be fully exploited by Chelsea's prolific forwards, with the champions emerging with their sixth league victory of the season.
| 52 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
