Played
March 21, 2012 3:45 PM EDT
Etihad Stadium — Manchester
Referee: M. Dean
Attendance: 46324
March 21, 2012 3:45 PM EDT
Etihad Stadium — Manchester
Referee: M. Dean
Attendance: 46324
Premier League Preview: Manchester City - Chelsea
A win for the home side will put it one point behind Manchester United, but the Blues have won four straight games under Roberto Di Matteo since the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas.
By Oliver Platt
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PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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MANCHESTER CITY
 Hart Richards, Kolo Toure, Lescott, Clichy Yaya Toure, Barry Silva, Aguero, Nasri Balotelli |
CHELSEA
 Cech Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole Lampard, Essien Sturridge, Mata, Ramires Drogba |
Carlos Tevez could complete his surprise Premier League return on Wednesday from the substitutes' bench. The Argentine is unlikely to start though, given that he has only played in two games for the reserve team thus far.
Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta are unlikely to return in time for this fixture but the City defense could be boosted if Joleon Lescott becomes available after a groin strain. If not, Stefan Savic should continue alongside Kolo Toure.
Gareth Barry is also in contention for a place in the starting XI – he should be ready to play following a back injury – but faces competition for his spot in the form of Nigel de Jong and David Pizarro.
Roberto Di Matteo is likely to stick with the Chelsea side that beat Napoli 4-1 in the Champions League. Fernando Torres' two goals in the FA Cup will have put him in his manager's thoughts but Didier Drogba will probably get the nod here.
The Blues have no fresh fitness concerns and so remain injury and suspension free.
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DID YOU KNOW? |
Manchester City has not lost at home to Chelsea since September 2008, although it has suffered two consecutive defeats at Stamford Bridge.
- City will be looking for its 15th home league win of the season on Wednesday, which would leave it four victories away from a perfect record at the Etihad Stadium.
- Only one team, Tottenham, have scored more than one goal when visiting Manchester City in the Premier League this season, although Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon have done so in cup competitions.
- Three players – Sergio Aguero (23, pictured right), Edin Dzeko (18) and Mario Balotelli (15) – have outscored Chelsea's top goal scorer, Frank Lampard, who has 13 goals in all competitions.
- Carlos Tevez will be looking to add to an impressive City goal scoring record of his own. The 28-year-old scored 19 goals in 63 league games for Manchester United but improved dramatically on that figure upon joining City; he has scored 44 in 69 for City so far in the Premier League.
- Chelsea has won all four of its matches since the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, scoring 12 goals and conceding three.
- Its current run is its first four match unbeaten run since it beat West Brom in its second fixture of the season to trigger a similar streak of victories.
- Ominously, that four match winning run ended in Manchester – the Blues suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford.
- Fernando Torres scored twice against Leicester City in the FA Cup on Sunday to end a run of 1566 minutes without a goal for Chelsea.
- Torres hasn't scored in the Premier League since the end of September, when he followed up a goal against Swansea City with a red card.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Manchester City 1-2 Chelsea
- 21.29 %
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Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea
- 15.88 %
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Manchester City 0-2 Chelsea
- 7.75 %
| FA Cup (FA) | Apr 14, 2013 | Chelsea 1 - Manchester City 2 |
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| English Premier League (EPL) (EPL) | Feb 24, 2013 | Manchester City 2 - Chelsea 0 |
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| English Premier League (EPL) (EPL) | Nov 25, 2012 | Chelsea 0 - Manchester City 0 |
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| FA Community Shield (FACS) | Aug 12, 2012 | Chelsea 2 - Manchester City 3 |
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| English Premier League (EPL) (EPL) | Mar 21, 2012 | Manchester City 2 - Chelsea 1 |
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Manchester City
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| May 19, 2013 | Manchester City 2 - Norwich City 3 | EPL |
| May 14, 2013 | Reading 0 - Manchester City 2 | EPL |
| May 11, 2013 | Manchester City 0 - Wigan Athletic 1 | FA |
| May 7, 2013 | Manchester City 1 - West Bromwich 0 | EPL |
| May 4, 2013 | Swansea City 0 - Manchester City 0 | EPL |
Chelsea
 |
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| May 19, 2013 | Chelsea 2 - Everton 1 | EPL |
| May 15, 2013 | Benfica 1 - Chelsea 2 | EL |
| May 11, 2013 | Aston Villa 1 - Chelsea 2 | EPL |
| May 8, 2013 | Chelsea 2 - Tottenham 2 | EPL |
| May 5, 2013 | Manchester United 0 - Chelsea 1 | EPL |
| 1 | Joe Hart | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Micah Richards | Defender |
| 5 | Pablo Zabaleta | Defender |
| 22 | Gael Clichy | Defender |
| 28 | Kolo Toure | Defender |
| 8 | Samir Nasri | Midfielder |
| 21 | David Silva | Striker |
| 34 | Nigel De Jong | Midfielder |
| 42 | Yaya Touré | Midfielder |
| 16 | Sergio Agüero | Striker |
| 45 | Mario Balotelli | Striker |
| 30 | Costel Pantilimon | Goalkeeper |
| 13 | Aleksandar Kolarov | Defender |
| 15 | Stefan Savic | Defender |
| 7 | James Milner | Midfielder |
| 18 | Gareth Barry | Midfielder |
| 10 | Edin Dzeko | Striker |
| 32 | Carlos Tévez | Striker |
| 1 | Petr Cech | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Branislav Ivanovic | Defender |
| 3 | Ashley Cole | Defender |
| 4 | David Luiz | Defender |
| 24 | Gary Cahill | Defender |
| 7 | Ramires | Midfielder |
| 8 | Frank Lampard | Midfielder |
| 12 | John Obi Mikel | Midfielder |
| 14 | Raúl Meireles | Midfielder |
| 9 | Fernando Torres | Striker |
| 10 | Juan Mata | Striker |
| 22 | Ross Turnbull | Goalkeeper |
| 19 | José Bosingwa | Defender |
| 5 | Michael Essien | Midfielder |
| 15 | Florent Malouda | Midfielder |
| 12 | Didier Drogba | Striker |
| 21 | Salomon Kalou | Striker |
| 15 | Daniel Sturridge | Striker |
Results
Times In EDT
Live
Final
scheduled
Suspended
Cancelled
Postponed
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Robin van Persie Striker Man United |
26 | 3 |
|
Luis Suárez Striker Liverpool |
23 | 0 |
|
Gareth Bale Midfielder Tottenham |
21 | 0 |
|
C. Benteke Striker Aston Villa |
19 | 3 |
|
Michu Midfielder Swansea City |
19 | 0 |
