There will be few tasks more daunting for a defence than taking on Manchester City's attack. They may not sit top of the Premier League table but the Citizens remain the league's top goalscorers after their opening 16 matches and it's little wonder how, when Erling Haaland has racked up 21 goals in his opening 15 outings.
Chelsea did not have to contend with the Norwegian striker in their Carabao Cup clash in November but still went down by two goals as both teams rotated. That will likely happen again in the FA Cup, but Graham Potter will have to contend with a close to full-strength Manchester City on Thursday.
The Blues do not hold a paticularly bad defensive record, having conceded 18 times in 16 games, but are put under pressure by their inability to score at the other end. They have conceded just twice more than City in the league this term but netted less than half of the output of Pep Guardiola's side. A degree of perfection will be required at Stamford Bridge.
