Chelsea host Manchester City at Stamford Bridge tonight with the Blues hoping they can begin their climb up the Premier League table with a win.
Chelsea won on their return to action following the World Cup, but a draw against Nottingham Forest on New Year's Day has left them sat ninth in the table. Graham Potter appears to have the backing of the Chelsea board, at least in the short-term, but a win against City tonight would be a vital step towards winning over the fans.
Pep Guardiola's side have also had a mixed return to action following the mid-season break, winning on their return to action against Leeds United before a shock draw against Everton. Guardiola will be keen to return strongly, with a win tonight bringing them to within five points of leaders Arsenal.
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Chelsea have only faced one of the so-called 'Big Six' in the league so far, drawing against Manchester United at Old Trafford in October. Also that month, they were beaten 2-0 by City in the Carabao Cup and many are backing Guardiola's side to repeat that feat tonight.
Statisticians Five Thirty Eight have given Chelsea just a 24% chance of emerging victorious in this fixture, with City overwhelming favourites at 53%. A draw has been given a 23% chance of occurring and Chelsea will be hopeful of springing a surprise in what is a huge fixture tonight.
The Blues will need to keep the extensive attacking talent of City at bay, with Erling Haaland having scored three times since the return to action. However, they will be boosted by a lack of form from Kevin De Bruyne and will be hoping that they can keep him subdued tonight.
Team news
Chelsea have been boosted by the return of Ruben Loftus-Cheek after he recovered from a thigh issue which he sustained against Newcastle United back in November, while Ben Chilwell is edging closer to a return. Edouard Mendy, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, N'Golo Kante and Armando Broja remain sidelined.
City boss Guardiola revealed in his pre-Chelsea press conference that Ruben Dias is ruled out of the match as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury, whilst the Spaniard is also facing an anxious wait over another key defender. "Ruben [Dias] is out. Aymeric [Laporte] we will see in this afternoon's training session," Guardiola said.
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