Chelsea and Manchester City square off on Sunday at Stamford Bridge with expectations very different for both teams heading into this season.
City won 4-2 at Ohio Stadium just a few weeks ago when these teams played a preseason game, while this corresponding fixture last season ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw.
WATCH CHELSEA v MANCHESTER CITY LIVE
Enzo Maresca is now in charge at Chelsea and has endured a tough summer with so many players arriving, again, and the transfer strategy severely questioned as he’s changed the style of play massively. Add in Enzo Fernandez apologizing to his Chelsea teammates after he posted a video on social media he was involved in as he and his Argentina teammates chanted a racist and discriminatory song insulting French people, and Maresca has had a lot to sort out on and off the pitch. In good news, Cole Palmer has signed a new long-term contract ahead of this season which is a huge boost but expectation levels are low at Chelsea, as they have the Europa Conference League to compete in and most Blues fans would snap your hand off now if you offered them a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.
On the other hand, Manchester City are going for five-straight Premier League titles. But the news around them this week has been about Premier League chief executive Richard Masters saying it is ‘time to resolve’ the hearing over their 115 charges for allegedly breaching Premier League financial rules. Many reports state that the hearing will start in September 2024 and it seems like a decision will be announced by the end of 2024. On the pitch, Pep Guardiola and City won the Community Shield on penalty kicks against Man United at Wembley last weekend as plenty of their international stars have finally returned to full training after most of them missed their preseason tour of the USA. Erling Haaland has been around all summer and looks fresh, hungry and fired up to lead the line as City chase yet another trophy-laden season.
How to watch Chelsea vs Manchester City, stream link and start time
Kick off: 11:30am ET, Sunday (August 18)
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
TV channel: NBC
Online: Watch via NBC.com
Chelsea team news, focus
The only two players missing through injury for Chelsea are star right back Reece James who continues to struggle to overcome his long-term issues, while goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic is also out. Maresca has been starting with teenage forward Marc Guiu up top in preseason and he could get the nod in attack, while Conor Gallagher’s future at Chelsea remains up in the air but his move to Atletico Madrid is yet to be confirmed. Chelsea have switched between 3-4-2-1 and 4-2-3-1 formations in preseason and Maresca’s possession-based style has yet to really work as this is a big change in playing philosophy compared to Mauricio Pochettino last season.
OUT: Reece James (thigh) Djordje Petrovic (other)
Manchester City team news, focus
Oscar Bobb had a fine preseason and plenty was expected of the young Norwegian winger, but he suffered a serious lower leg injury in training and is out for the foreseeable future. Rodri is getting back up to match fitness after being injured for Spain in the EURO 2024 final, while Jack Grealish was having a very good preseason before pulling up with a hamstring injury ahead of the Community Shield last weekend. All of the big boys are now back with Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Phil Foden ready to start.
OUT: Oscar Bobb (lower leg) | QUESTIONABLE: Rodri (undisclosed), Jack Grealish (hamstring)
