Chelsea host Manchester City in the Premier League this afternoon seeking to earn back-to-back league wins after they triumphed over Tottenham in a bizarre and highly entertaining encounter last time out.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men defeated Spurs 4-1 but struggled to break down the north London outfit after they had been reduced to nine-men due to red cards for Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie. Raheem Sterling set up Nicolas Jackson in the 75th minute which broke Tottenham’s resolve and two further late goals for the 22-year-old striker saw him complete an unlikely hat-trick.
That win took the Blues back into the top-10 and they will be hoping to make further inroads up the table with a positive result at Stamford Bridge.
In contrast, Man City hammered Bournemouth 6-1 before competently sweeping aside Young Boys 3-0 in the Champions League during the week. Pep Guardiola’s men are in top form and despite Chelsea earning a much needed win on their previous outing Pochettino’s men will be up against it today.
Follow all the Premier League action below plus get the latest odds and tips for the game right here:
Chelsea vs Manchester City live
Chelsea host Man City in the Premier League, live on Sky Sports Main Event
City will move three points clear at the top of the table if they win
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Disasi, Thiago Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson
Man City XI: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Bernardo, Foden, Doku, Alvarez, Haaland
29’ GOAL! – Thiago Silva nods in the equaliser for the Blues (CHE 1-1 MCI)
28’ CHANCE! – James’ free kick is pushed over the crossbar (CHE 0-1 MCI)
25’ GOAL! – Haaland converts from the penalty spot (CHE 0-1 MCI)
18’ SHOT! – Gallagher forces a good save out of Ederson (CHE 0-0 MCI)
Chelsea FC 2 – 1 Manchester City FC
Chelsea 2-1 Man City
17:11 , Mike Jones
40 mins: There’s a game on at Stamford Bridge now. Manchester City are growing a bit frustrated as they’re not having things go their way since the penalty.
Chelsea need to keep the same mindset. They started this match being aggressive and are seeing a lot of joy on the counter-attack.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Man City (Sterling, 37’)⚽️
17:09 , Mike Jones
37 mins: Chelsea lead!
Enzo Fernandez recovers the ball in the middle of the pitch and slides it over to Cole Palmer. Palmer sends the ball into the box where is gets stuck under the feet of Josko Gvardiol.
Reece James nicks it off the defender then squares a pass over to Raheem Sterling who slots it home.
Chelsea 1-1 Man City
17:06 , Mike Jones
35 mins: Close! City have upped the tempo. Rodri drives the ball through midfield before slipping the ball over to Phil Foden on the right side of the pitch.
He cuts inside of Marc Cucurella before curling a shot mrer inches wide of the far post. That would have been a lovely goal.
Chelsea 1-1 Man City
17:03 , Mike Jones
32 mins: Phil Foden floats a cross into the box as City work the ball up the pitch. He’s aiming for the back post where Erling Haaland arrives and volleys his effort wide of the target.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Man City (Thiago Silva, 29’)⚽️
17:03 , Mike Jones
29 mins: Equaliser! From the corner, Conor Gallagher whips the ball over to the near post where Thiago Silva makes a run into space.
He meets the ball and nods it into the deck. Ederson doesn’t have the best view of the cross and is late to react meaning he cant get across as it sneaks in at the near post.
Chelsea 0-1 Man City
17:00 , Mike Jones
28 mins: Chance! Chelsea win a free kick just outside the penalty area and Reece James decides he’s going to take it. He whips the ball up and over the wall before getting it to dip under the bar.
Ederson leaps to his right and pushes the ball over the top for a corner! Great save.
Chelsea 0-1 Man City
16:58 , Mike Jones
27 mins: To make matters worse for Chelsea, Marc Cucurella was booked for giving away the penalty so he’ll need to be careful taking on the likes of Phil Foden for the rest of the game.
In response, Chelsea come down the left side and feed the ball up to Sterling. He sends it inside to Gallagher who lays the ball off to Moises Caicedo.
Caicedo shoots from range but clatters his effort right into Rodri who boots the ball clear.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Man City (Haaland, 25’)⚽️
16:56 , Mike Jones
25 mins: Erling Haaland wins the penalty for Manchester City and converts it too! He slides the ball to the goalkeeper’s right as Robert Sanchez dives the opposite way.
City take to lead thanks to a controversial decision from the officials. That’s going to be another talking point at the end of this game.
Penalty to Man City!
16:54 , Mike Jones
Chelsea 0-0 Man City
21 mins: Chelsea have players on the deck but the referee allows Man City to play on. Bernardo Silva brings it down the left side and whips a cross into the box. Reece James deals with the initial ball under pressure but only nods it back to Silva.
The midfielder whips a second effort over to the back post where Erling Haaland and Marc Cucurella come together. The defender seems to have his hands on Haaland with the striker tussling back.
Both men go down and the referee points to the spot. VAR doesn’t overturn the decision.
Chelsea 0-0 Man City
16:50 , Mike Jones
18 mins: Shot! Reece James gets forward on the right side before knocking the ball to Enzo Fernandez. He tries to get Nicolas Jackson into the box but the ball is deflected across to Conor Gallagher.
Gallagher lets the ball bounce then nails a great shot towards goal only for Ederson to pluck it out of the air without too much trouble.
Chelsea 0-0 Man City
16:47 , Mike Jones
15 mins: City win a free kick inside Chelsea’s hald over on the left hand channel.
It’s slipped short to Josko Gvardiol then played back across the middle of the pitch. Rodri manages to pick out Julian Alvarez who turns and shoots but Marc Cucurella is there to turn the ball behind for a corner.
Chelsea 0-0 Man City
16:45 , Mike Jones
12 mins: Close! Josko Gvardiol comes flying into the midfield to try and win a 50-50 ball loses out. A gap then open up in the City defence where Cole Palmer is slipped the ball.
He brings it into the box from the right and should offload it to the open Conor Gallagher. Instead he goes for glory against his own club and fizzes a shot into the nearest defender before the attack dies down.
Chelsea 0-0 Man City
16:42 , Mike Jones
9 mins: Manchester City look to work the ball into the box from the right wing but Phil Foden is repeatedly being closed down by multiple defenders before he can get a cross in.
From a throw in, City sweep the ball over to the opposite wing where Jeremy Doku weaves into the box and takes a shot only for it to get blocked and booted away.
Chelsea 0-0 Man City
16:37 , Mike Jones
6 mins: This is good from Chelsea. Enzo Fernandez is brought down in the middle of the pitch and wants a free kick but Chelsea recover the ball and play advantage as they fly down the left.
Raheem Sterling receives the ball and cuts inside before slipping a pass into the box for Marc Cucurella’s overlapping run. The left-back looks for the cross but Phil Foden gets a toe on the ball and prods it out for a corner.
The set piece is then whipped into the middle but City manage to deal with it.
Chelsea 0-0 Man City
16:35 , Mike Jones
3 mins: Bernardo Silva makes a run down the left side of the pitch off the ball and receives it from Julian Alvarez dinking a pass over the top.
Bernardo drives towards the byline but a back-tracking Cole Palmer manages to boot the ball into his old teammate where it deflects behind for a goal kick.
Kick off! Chelsea 0-0 Man City
16:32 , Mike Jones
Chelsea get the game started at Stamford Bridge. They work the ball nicely through the midfield and get to the edge of Man City’s box but the visitors manage to win the ball and clear their lines.
Pre-match thoughts from Mauricio Pochettino
16:26 , Mike Jones
“We will see if we can deliver what we want on the game to challenge them.” said the Chelsea boss on Sky Sports
“In the way we want to play and it will be tough they are a team which are solid and playing a long period together.
“We have the same ideas and philosophies to challenge them but it is about in believing that we can win the game and to dominate and play in the way we want.”
Chelsea vs Man City
16:24 , Mike Jones
Erling Haaland has scored 67 goals in 70 appearances for Man City in all competitions since the beginning of last season. Chelsea have netted a total of 72 goals in 64 matches in that same period.
(REUTERS)
Chelsea vs Man City
16:21 , Mike Jones
Cole Palmer scored six goals in 41 appearances for Manchester City in all competitions, including goals in this season’s Community Shield and European Super Cup.
Since joining Chelsea, he has settled himself as a regular in the line-up and could make his old club pay this afternoon.
16:18 , Mike Jones
Pep Guardiola has lost eight matches against Chelsea, the joint most of his managerial career alongside Liverpool.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s downward spiral offers stark warning to Man City
16:15 , Mike Jones
Pep Guardiola’s early nemeses have joined forces. The Catalan’s first defeat as Manchester City manager was inflicted by Mauricio Pochettino, his second by Chelsea.
In his maiden season in England, 2016-17, his City finished a distant third, behind Chelsea and Pochettino’s Tottenham. His quest to win the Champions League with City eventually ended in June: two reasons why it was not concluded earlier were Pochettino, whose Spurs side eliminated City in 2019, and Chelsea, who beat them in the 2021 final.
And yet as Guardiola goes to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, it is having knocked Chelsea off their perch. The 2017 Premier League title was Chelsea’s fifth in 14 seasons, and they finished 15 points ahead of City. Since then, they have not mustered a title challenge. City have claimed 154 points more in the subsequent six campaigns; they are already 12 ahead after 11 games now.
Chelsea’s downward spiral offers stark warning to Man City
Chelsea vs Manchester City
16:10 , Mike Jones
Manchester City are aiming to keep consecutive away clean sheets in the league for the first time since a run of five from February to April 2022.
Since losing against Chelsea and Brighton in May 2021, City have only lost one of the last 68 Premier League games in which they have scored the first goal (W61, D6).
Chelsea vs Man City
16:05 , Mike Jones
Chelsea’s only win in the last 13 home league games was 3-0 versus Luton in August. They have failed to score in nine of their 18 home league fixtures in 2023, including three of the last four.
Chelsea vs Man City
16:00 , Mike Jones
Manchester City’s tally of 27 points is their highest after 11 league matches since they had 29 at this stage in 2018-19. They have lost three of their last six away games in all competitions, but are on a 23-match winning streak at home.
Jeremy Doku’s brilliance shows Man City’s edge and Chelsea’s key problem
15:55 , Mike Jones
Over the past few months, as Chelsea’s hierarchy started to settle into the club, they became fixated on a specific idea relevant to this weekend’s game. They began to study what makes 100-point seasons and record-breaking sides. That might seem some way off, to an almost comic degree, but you’ve got to have goals.
Manchester City are the obvious case study, since they are the only club to manage a centurion season and they still break records. As regards what made that possible, the usual explanation might be “one of the most lavishly expensive football projects in history” but Chelsea’s owners also have huge resources and are clearly willing to spend them. Their outlay on transfer fees so far, if not quite wages, has recalled the dizzy days of Roman Abramovich between 2003 and 2006 and the first few years of the Abu Dhabi ownership at City.
And Chelsea might have a more specific reason to look at the European champions for inspiration.
Jeremy Doku’s brilliance shows Man City’s edge and Chelsea’s key problem
Chelsea vs Man City
15:50 , Mike Jones
Chelsea have won three of their last five league matches, following a run of just two victories in 18 attempts. They are looking to avoid registering nine home league defeats in a calendar year for the first time since 1986.
Chelsea vs Man City
15:46 , Mike Jones
Manchester City can become the first club to win four consecutive top-flight away fixtures against Chelsea since Leeds United won six in a row at Stamford Bridge from 1973 to 1991.
Chelsea vs Man City
15:43 , Mike Jones
Chelsea are looking to avoid five consecutive league defeats against a specific opponent since a run of seven at the hands of Blackburn between 1993 and 1996.
Chelsea vs Man City
15:40 , Mike Jones
Manchester City have won 1-0 in each of the last four Premier League meetings.
The only opponents Chelsea have failed to score against in more than four successive top-flight fixtures are Newcastle United: six games from 1913 to 1919.
Chelsea vs Man City team changes
15:35 , Mike Jones
Mauricio Pochettino makes just one change to the Chelsea team that defeated Tottenham last time out. Levi Colwill is replaced at left-back by Marc Cucurella.
Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, makes a fews changes to his Manchester City team that hammered Bournemouth in the league last time out.
John Stones and Nathan Ake drop out of the back line with Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias slotting back in. Mateo Kovacic is also replaced with Phil Foden further up the pitch.
Chelsea vs Man City line-ups
15:31 , Mike Jones
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Disasi, Thiago Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Sterling; Jackson
Man City XI: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Bernardo, Foden, Doku, Alvarez, Haaland
Your City line-up! 💪
XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Foden, Doku, Alvarez, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Kovacic, Grealish, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/GCNRD3bW2g
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 12, 2023
Chelsea will be fighting for titles sooner rather than later, says Pep Guardiola
15:25 , Mike Jones
Pep Guardiola expects Chelsea to be back challenging for the title in the near future. Chelsea last won the Premier League during Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City in 2016-17.
Since then it is City who have dominated the competition, taking the crown in five of the past six campaigns.
Chelsea did edge out City in the 2021 Champions League final but there has been plenty of turbulence at the London club since, and they currently sit 10th in the table.
Chelsea will be fighting for titles sooner rather than later, says Pep Guardiola
Jackson development going well
15:20 , Mike Jones
Nicolas Jackson scored the first hat-trick of his career against Tottenham on Monday evening when leading the line for Chelsea, easing a bit a pressure on the striker and quieting down the outside noise that he is not good enough to be the Blues’ main attacker.
“It’s always a process and it [the hat-trick against Tottenham] has not changed my view,” explained Mauricio Pochettino about Jackson’s role in the team.
“Nico is still young and needs to be more mature and improve. He scored three goals, ok, he should’ve scored six. That is the idea: it’s never enough.
“The important thing is to stay calm and relaxed. Nico is a talented player, who will improve in time and score goals. Nights like Monday will help him be less nervous and approach the game in a different way.”
Sterling ‘desperate’ to play for England says Pochettino
15:15 , Mike Jones
Raheem Sterling days as an England international seem to be numbered as the forward was once again omitted from Gareth Southgate’s squad for the upcoming international break.
Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino, spoke about the decision to leave Sterling out and revealed that the 28-year-old is still desperate to regain his England place.
“It’s difficult to talk because I don’t want to say anything about the decision, because Gareth Southgate is the coach and we need to respect his decision.” said Pochettino,
“All I can say is Raheem, Reece [James] and all the English players have the spirit to go to the national team because they really love to be involved with the national team.
“Sometimes they feel disappointed because they are not but the only way to change the situation is working hard with your club and showing you deserve to be there and respect the decision of the coach.
“But they are desperate to be involved in the national team. The decision is not in their hands, it is just in their hands to perform.”
Pochettino on Nkunku and Lavia
15:10 , Mike Jones
Two of Chelsea more exciting players, Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia, have spent long spells on the sidelines since moving to Stamford Bridge but both are edging closer to a return says Mauricio Pochettino.
“I had a conversation with Christopher and he said to me he wanted to be involved after the international break, against Newcastle,” revealed the Chelsea boss. “I asked yesterday and he wasn’t as sure, so I told him he is a liar! In a good way, though.
“I think he’s close and he is doing really well. We are so happy with him in the way that he is doing his recovery. He is very professional.
“Romeo Lavia is also close, they were both training today on the pitch. We hope that next week they will be involved with the team and we will assess day by day to see when they can start to play and help the team.”
Pep Guardiola offers John Stones injury update
15:05 , Mike Jones
Manchester City face an anxious wait to see if John Stones will be fit to face Liverpool later this month.
The England defender, who has only made six appearances in an injury-hit season, came off at half-time in Tuesday’s win over Young Boys of Bern and manager Pep Guardiola has ruled him out of Sunday’s trip to Chelsea.
Guardiola said Stones’ muscular problem is not as serious as he initially feared but is unsure when the 29-year-old will be fit again and he has a race against time to be available for the clash with Liverpool on 25 November.
Pep Guardiola offers John Stones injury update
De Bruyne making progress with hamstring injury
15:00 , Mike Jones
Kevin De Bruyne has been missing from Manchester City’s team since August after injuring his hamstring in the opening game of the season against Burnley.
When speaking about the injuries in his squad Pep Guardiola revealed the Belgian is ‘feeling good’, but is still a few weeks off returning to full training.
“I spoke with him and he said he feels really good,” said Gaurdiola, “He’s not training with us yet and I don’t know when he will. I would say he’s in the last phase before he trains with us again.
“I think (that could be soon), but I don’t know. This kind of injury, it’s better we don’t put pressure on him If the physio says next step, next step, no pressure.
“Recover, it’s not necessary to take the wrong or bad decision and then you’re back (where you were) again. Kevin’s was a bad injury with surgery, so it’s step by step.”
Guardiola on Stones’ injury
14:55 , Mike Jones
Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, has issued an update on John Stones’ injury and confirms that the versatile defender won’t be available until after the international break.
Stones had recently returned to City’s team having been absent since August but picked up a muscle injury in the 3-0 win over Young Boys though Guardiola revealed the issue may not be as bad as initially thought.
“He is injured,” said Guardiola at his Friday press conference. “He is not ready for tomorrow and we will see after international break. I don’t know (whether he will be ready) for Liverpool.
“The doctor says it’s not as bad (as first thought), but still I don’t know. When he is going to be fit again, he will be back.”
Chelsea vs Man City odds and tips
14:50 , Mike Jones
Chelsea and Manchester City face off in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge with Mauricio Pochettino’s men looking for a second win on the bounce on Sunday (4:30pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
The Blues secured a vital win over Tottenham on Monday after Spurs were reduced to nine men.
Nicolas Jackson notched a hat-trick at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Pochettino will hope that the result kickstarts the forward’s and Chelsea’s campaign.
Chelsea are sitting in mid-table and are a fair distance away from a top four spot, and the sight of the champions arriving at the Bridge will not be a welcome one.
Pep Guardiola’s men have won five on the bounce ahead of their clash with Chelsea, and reclaimed their place at the top of the Premier League following a 6-1 triumph over Bournemouth last week.
City have re-affirmed their status with online football betting sites as the favourites for the title even after a tricky period in September.
The champions will be aiming for a fourth Premier League win in a row to retain their lead at the top of the table heading into the two-week international break.
Looking at the Premier League odds, Guardiola’s men are strong favourites for the clash. Here are our Chelsea vs Manchester City predictions for Sunday’s showdown.
Chelsea vs Manchester City predictions: Premier League betting tips and odds
Chelsea vs Manchester City prediction
14:45 , Mike Jones
Chelsea will be buoyed by their victory over Tottenham last time out but Manchester City are a different prospect. A couple of goals for Pep Guardiola’s men will evaporate the Blues’ confidence and lead City to a relatively comfortable win.
Chelsea 1-3 Manchester City.
Chelsea vs Man City early team news
14:40 , Mike Jones
A numbers of Chelsea’s injury absentees are moving closer to a return, though both Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia remain out for now. Enzo Fernandez and Reece James, who asked to be left out of the England squad this week, should be available to feature, though.
Manchester City suffered their own injury blow in midweek Champions League action, as John Stones left the pitch after picking up a knock. Pep Guardiola admitted his side could be “in trouble” if the versatile defender misses a significant period of time. He was unable to put a possible timeline on a return ahead of this game, while it is also unclear when Kevin De Bruyne will be back to fitness after a long lay-off.
Predicted line-ups
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; James, Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Fernandez, Gallagher; Palmer, Jackson, Sterling.
Manchester City XI: Ederson; Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Walker, Rodri, Kovacic, Doku; Silva, Alvarez; Haaland.
How to watch Chelsea vs Man City?
14:35 , Mike Jones
Chelsea vs Manchester City is due to kick off at 4.30pm GMT on Sunday 12 November at Stamford Bridge.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage due to begin at 4pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via Sky Go.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Chelsea vs Manchester City
14:30 , Mike Jones
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Sunday’s Premier League action between Chelsea and Manchester City.
Today’s encounter should be an interesting one with the Blues coming into the match off the back of a 4-1 victory over Tottenham whose title challenge against Man City is stalling. Another victory for Mauricio Pochettino’s men today will send them up the eighth in the league and continue their charge towards the European places.
For City, they’re looking to cement their advantage at the top of the Premier League. They are currently first, level on points with Arsenal but have a game in hand. Should they beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Pep Guardiola’s men will open up a three point lead at the top and will be very difficult to chase down.
We’ll have all the updates, team news and match action throughout the afternoon so stick around as we build up to kick off…
