Man City vs Chelsea: EPL preview – kickoff time, how to follow, stream | football news
Who: manchester city vs chelsea
What: english premier league
Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom
When: 5:30 pm (17:30 GMT) on Saturday
Follow Al Jazeera’s live build-up to the match, followed by our text and photo commentary stream.
Manchester City’s next two matches in the Premier League and Champions League have been compared to a “final” for the beleaguered English champions by their manager Pep Guardiola.
Chelsea arrive at Saturday’s clash with holders City at the Etihad Stadium 12 points clear of league leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand on the chasing pack.
Guardiola’s side, who are fifth and two points behind the Blues, then face a win at Belgian Club Brugge or elimination from the Champions League at the first hurdle.
“The next two games are really, really important, the final with us,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday. “Our people will support us. We are very close to (Chelsea) with the big, big problems we have had in recent days. Are. “
What has happened to Man City?
Despite recently climbing the Premier League table, City have yet to fully recover their form, with Guardiola’s side registering just one win in nine matches in all competitions at one stage.
A 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, when they blew a two-goal lead, left them one place outside the Champions League playoff places with a game of the league stage remaining. This makes it a run of two wins in seven European games.
As for when City will qualify for next season’s Champions League – which can be achieved by winning this season’s competition or finishing in the top four in the Premier League – Guardiola responded: “We can make it. Why should I think differently? We are going to make it. I think it’s going to happen. I am very positive. ,
Who are Man City’s new January transfer window signings?
City have embarked on a January spending spree in the transfer window, in an attempt to reverse the team’s travails that secured them an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title last season. Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush have all been acquired at a cost of over $150M.
“Vitor is young, he has a huge personality, time is needed. If he is here with us, of course, he can start,” Guardiola said.
“Khusanov has already settled in to the fact that he plays in the French league, handling tough, quick, sharp players. But he doesn’t speak much English, so communication will be one of the situations we have to deal with.
“Marmoush will adapt quickly. They will make us stronger and I am sure that the club decided to have this potential player for the future and for many years. ,
Introduction @mancityThree new signings of 🆕
Which player will make the biggest impact for Pep Guardiola’s side? pic.twitter.com/laxxra2ynu
– Premier League (@PremierLeague) January 23, 2025
Friends reunite in dugout as Man City entertain Chelsea
Chelsea is managed by Guardiola’s former assistant Enzo Maresca, who spent one season with the Spaniard in 2022-2023.
However, this is not the first meeting between the pair this season. City won 2–0 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, thanks to goals from Erling Held and Mateo Kovacic.
The Blues ended a five-game streak without a win in the league, in which they had lost twice, after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1 in their last outing. The barren run before Monday’s win at Stamford Bridge capped an incredibly strong start to life in London for Maresca, whose side unexpectedly became title contenders.
“I recognized their (Maresca’s) team from the first day, even when we played them in the summer camp in the States,” Guardiola said. “A lot of things that I started noticing that we talked about together many, many times over the years. Really good.”
Chelsea manager backs Guardiola to bounce back
Maresca, meanwhile, has rallied around Guardiola and said the struggling City boss needs support. “Pep is very strong in this kind of thing. But of course, like any human being, he needs support in this moment, for the last eight or nine years, he was always on top,” Maresca told the media gathered at Chelsea’s training ground.
Maresca said Chelsea would find City difficult to beat, despite their hosts’ poor form. “With this club and these players, when they are in a difficult moment, they want to show how good they are. I don’t think there’s ever a good moment to play City,” he said.
“It is normal in football that they live such moments as if they are in. Surely, they will soon be back to winning trophies.”
Premier League table after matchweek 22 👀 pic.twitter.com/sprwfxd21f
– Premier League (@PremierLeague) January 21, 2025
Can Maresca’s Chelsea take the Premier League title from Man City?
Maresca has a long history with City, having worked as a coach at the club before leaving to take the manager’s job at Parma.
After being sacked by the Italian side, he returned to City to work as Guardiola’s assistant during their treble-winning run and said he was eternally grateful to the club.
“My relationship with Pep and the club is fantastic. I will always be grateful to City for the trust they showed in me, because they called me back after two or three months after an Italian club had sacked me.
On whether or not Chelsea are good enough to be considered as genuine title contenders this season, Maresca replied: “No, not for the title. If you look at December and January, we are going through a difficult moment. ,
Will Chelsea sign Garnacho from Man UTD?
The Blues have themselves been linked with a move for Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho in the current transfer window, which closes on January 31, and Maresca admitted he is “always looking at situations”.
However, one move in particular, to Garnacho, was roundly rebuked: “No, no. I’m happy we have this moment,” Maresca said.
“We have said many times on the right side, it is Pedro (Neto) and Nonny (Madueke) and on the left side it is Jadon (Sancho). Mischa (Mudryk) was with us and is no longer with us. Tyrick (George) has a youth profile. Whatever can help us at this time, we are fine.”
chelsea team news
Levi Colville and Enzo Fernandez are expected to be ready despite missing the win against Wolves.
“Romeo Lavia is absent with an injury that is expected to keep him out for a few more weeks.
man city team news
Ruben Dias and Jeremy Docu will both miss the match. The former was replaced at half-time in Paris on Wednesday with an abductor injury.
City’s three new signings: Marmoush, Reis and Khusanov are all in the squad for the game.
head to head
This is the 177th meeting in a fixture that dates back to 1907 and a 2–2 draw in west London.
City are unbeaten in 10 matches against Chelsea, winning eight. The Blues previous win was in a 1-0 victory in the Champions League final in 2021.
This capped a three-game winning streak for the London-based club, which included a Premier League away win and an FA Cup home win that season.
Ready? pic.twitter.com/sumsgwyflt
– Premier League (@PremierLeague) January 24, 2025
