MCI vs CHE:match preview, Team News, Possible Lineup and Kick of Time
Chelsea will try to earn three points as they battle against Manchester City in their upcoming Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium. The Blues, who are presently 4th in the Premier League standings and 10 points below the summit, head into the fixture after a poor run, which saw them secure just one win out of their recent five fixtures.
Looking at the head-to-head, the Stamford Bridge club has managed just two draws in their last encounters against Pep Guardiola’s team.
Chelsea Team News
Enzo Maresca could face Manchester City without the services of Levi Colwill, Enzo Fernandez, and Romeo Lavia, who suffered knocks in the club’s recent games. Benoit Badiashile is also nursing a hamstring injury.
Mykhailo Mudryk will also be unavailable as he is currently battling suspension. However, Wesley Fofana is reportedly back at the training ground, and it is a massive boost for Enzo Maresca’s team, according to Daily Mail.
Chelsea Possible Lineup
A handful of the players used in last week’s match against Wolves are likely to be retained in the starting lineup for the upcoming match. Below is a strong starting lineup that Enzo Maresca could adopt for the game:
Goalkeeper: Jorgensen
Defenders: Cucurella, Tosin Adarabioyo, Chalobah, James
Midfielders: Drewsbury-Hall, Caicedo
Attackers: Neto, Felix Palmer
Striker: Nicholas Jackson
Match date and kick-off
The much-awaited game between the two Premier League giants, which promises to be thrilling, will be played on Saturday, January 25th. It will be played in the evening, with the kick-off time scheduled for 18:30 WAT (6:30 PM Nigerian Time).
Omar Marmoush’s €70m signing by Manchester City was confirmed on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Julian Alvarez had produced an eye-catching performance for Atletico Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. The same Alvarez who the Premier League champions let leave last summer.
Atleti paid €75m to sign Alvarez in the belief he would be their starting centre forward for years to come. The 2022 World Cup winner made a slow start in the Spanish capital, but is now spearheading a La Liga title challenge and scored twice in a comeback win over Leverkusen on Tuesday.
City, meanwhile, is suffering its worst season of the Pep Guardiola era. The defending Premier League champions are currently 12 points off the pace being set by Liverpool at the top of the table and have struggled for consistent form over a number of months. Guardiola surely regrets the decision to let Alvarez leave.
This summer will see Manchester City start a squad rebuild. Kevin De Bruyne could leave the club as a free agent. Ilkay Gundogan could similarly be on his way out of the Etihad Stadium. Kyle Walker is expected to complete a move to AC Milan in the coming days. These three key players are all over the age of 30.
Alvarez could have been the future of City’s attack. Of course, Erling Haaland remains the main man up front having recently signed a new nine-and-a-half-year contract extension to stay at City until the age of 34, but Guardiola needs versatile, technical creators and link-up options around the Norwegian. This is what Alvarez did so well.
The hope is that Marmoush will perform a similar role for City having joined from Eintracht Frankfurt. The Egyptian registered 15 goals and nine assists in 17 Bundesliga appearances this season and was largely deployed as one half of a front two. Haaland could soon have a strike partner.
It’s perhaps more likely that Guardiola will use Marmoush as a second striker or a rotational option to cover for Haaland when he is unavailable or in need of a rest. The Egyptian has arrived in the same window as 20-year-old Abdukodir Khusanov and 18-year-old Vitor Reis with all three signings joining to rejuvenate Guardiola’s ageing squad.
At 25, Marmoush differs from Khusanov and Reis who are still learning their trade. Manchester City surely wants the former Frankfurt forward to make an immediate impact and mitigate some of the damage that has already been done this season. Marmoush’s signing could also help City correct the mistake it made in selling Alvarez.
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