Chelsea vs Man City prediction
Chelsea should start in a 4-2-3-1 formation with the usual suspects retaining their places, but Ramires may partner Nemanja Matic in central midfield should Fabregas miss out, while Didier Drogba may pip Loic Remy to lead the attack.
Manchester City will probably turn to a similar 4-2-3-1 formation, with Sergio Aguero as the lone striker while James Milner and Jesus Navas flank David Silva as the attacking midfield trio.
The Brazilian midfield pair of Fernando and Fernandinho should start in central midfield to offer protection to City’s back-four against Chelsea’s attacking midfielders, with Lampard ready to chip in should the game need rescuing.
This game will have a lot of players who can decide the game with their quality and a number of key individual battles. The duel between Eden Hazard and Pablo Zabaleta duel is likely to be the most exciting one but not the most significant one.
The most important duel will involve the best central attacking midfielder in the league, Silva, against the best holding midfielder, Matic. Christian Eriksen proved when Tottenham defeated Chelsea that the best way to cause Chelsea problems is to remove Matic from his position in front of central defenders.
If Silva can manage to displace Matic or get the ball in dangerous areas between the lines then City will have a big chance of winning because the Spanish playmaker will create chances for the likes of Aguero.
On the other hand, if Matic keeps Silva quiet – as Arsenal did recently – then City will struggle to create chances because they do not have Toure to share the load of creating good chances.
Score prediction
Chelsea 1-1 Manchester City
