Man City - Match Preview

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Venue

Just 12 days after the Blues snapped City’s 13-match winning streak at home, putting an end to all the myths about the Ettihad Stadium, Mourinho’s men take on the citizens at their home ground again at 17:15 GMT on Saturday February 15th as part of the FA Cup fifth round.

The Match

Chelsea head to the Ettihad looking for their third win over the team that has been labeled as the best in the country this season. So can Jose Mourinho mastermind another victory for the Blues? This time, the stakes are arguably even higher, with some calling the clash an early final in the FA cup. That may be an exaggeration, but both teams will certainly fancy their chances in the cup if they can come out on top in this clash especially if you consider the fact that one of Liverpool or Arsenal will be knocked out this round.

City come into the match the much fresher side after their mid-week match against Sunderland was cancelled due to the bad weather conditions, but they will have the CL clash against Barcelona, no less, three days later in the back of their minds. Chelsea, on the other hand, despite looking a bit tired in the mid-week game, will not play again for a whole week and will certainly hold nothing back in terms of team selection or substitutions. Both teams are coming off the back of a disappointing draw. Chelsea conceded a late equalizer at Hawthorns while City were held to a goal-less draw at Norwich. A win on Saturday can go a long way in terms of team spirit and confidence and both team will be hoping to carry some kind of momentum into their next game.

Opposition Analysis

City have been known to play great attacking football this season, especially at home, that has earned them much praise from neutrals and the media. Pelligrini’s variation of the 4-4-2, or at least that is what it is on paper, is incredibly flexible and adaptive and flexible due to the movement of the City players, especially Silva and one of the strikers. It relies a lot on the dynamism of the two central midfielders and the organization of Kompany at the back. Defensively, they press well and with physicality, but can leave spaces behind them that can be exploited on the counter as was evident in the game last Monday. For more in depth tactical analysis about City’s system check out the scouting report by @hjperdeath, .

In the game in the league, Jose made some tactical decisions that proved vital in deciding the game. Mourinho opted for the dynamism of Luiz and Matic in central midfield with Willian in the number ten position to double up on Toure when he gets the ball. We played with 6 players behind the ball at most times with the movement and pace of our front four doing all the damage; Ramires was also played on the right wing to counter Kolarov’s runs. It will be very interesting to see if Jose goes for the same tactics tomorrow and what Pelligrini does to counter them.

Team News

Pelligrini confirmed in his press conference on Friday that they top scorer, Sergio Aguero, is still out injured along with Fernandinho in midfield and Nastasic in defense. The Chilean might also choose to rest a few players ahead of the CL match against Barcelona. So overall, we are likely to see a depleted Man City side tomorrow.

As for Chelsea, aside from the long-term injury of Marco van Ginkel, John Terry is still not fit for this match while Garry Cahill is a major doubt after picking up a calf injury against WBA. Jose Mourinho has also hinted at making changes from the side that played City in the league.

I’ll leave the expected lineups to you…

Facts and Stats

- Chelsea have lost 4 of the last 5 visits to the Ettihad.

- Despite scoring more goals than any team in the country, Man City have failed to score in their last two matches.

- Chelsea are the only team to stop the Citizens from scoring at the Ettihad this season.

- Anichibe's goal at the Hawthorns was the first goal Chelsea have conceded in over 700 minutes of football in all competitions.

- Alvaro Negredo has scored 16 goals in his last 14 competitive appearances at the Etihad Stadium.

- It is incredibly difficult to find stats and facts for an FA cup match. (Yes, that is a fact about this match!)

Match Odds*

City win 6/5

Draw 12/5

Chelsea win 21/10

*From SkyBet

Coverage

This match will be live on:

UK: ITV

US: Fox Sport

Middle east: BeIN sports

France: beIN sports

Belgium: Sporting 1

You can check where the match will be broadcast in your country here. Or you can follow the match feed on the TalkChelsea Twitter account.

Click here to view article.

[Jase 43,479]

I’ll leave the expected lineups to you…

[CHOULO19 24,332]

We have so many experts on expected lineups, already...

Should've just said check the match thread for all the various expected lineups

[Strike 6,961]

Defence is sorted though. Azpi Ivan Luiz Cole