Manchester City will be looking to capitalise on Arsenal's draw against Newcastle United when they face Chelsea in the Premier League tonight.
After league leaders Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw by third-place Newcastle on Tuesday night, City have the chance to close the gap between them and the Gunners to five points whilst opening a four-point gap between themselves and Newcastle with a game in hand on the Magpies. City were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw with Everton in their last outing, the result that allowed the gap to open up in the first place.
A trip to the capital awaits Pep Guardiola 's side tonight, with City facing a tough challenge against Chelsea. The two sides have already met once this season when City beat the Blues 2-0 in the Carabao Cup, and they then play again just three days after the Premier League clash in the FA Cup third round.
READ MORE: How to watch Chelsea vs Man City - TV channel and live stream details
So, could City pick up an important three points at Stamford Bridge tonight? Let's take a look.
Chelsea vs Man City score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the Blues could line up in a 3-4-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kepa; Chalobah, Silva, Koulibaly; Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Zakaria, Cucurella; Ziyech, Havertz, Mount.
We predict that City could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Ederson; Cancelo, Stones, Akanji, Ake; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Silva, Haaland, Foden.
The City midfield ran the opening stages of the game, with Rodri cutting out any Chelsea counterattacks as Guardiola's side sat in the Chelsea half. Bernardo Silva was causing havoc down the right, and the Portugal international played a big part in City taking the lead at Stamford Bridge.
Joao Cancelo fed Silva down the right, and the latter faked a return pass to his compatriot as he cut inside and surged towards the Chelsea box. Some silky dribbling saw Silva turn past Kalidou Koulibaly before rolling the ball into the path of Kevin De Bruyne, and the Belgian drilled a powerful strike across goal to send City ahead.
A chaotic two minutes saw both sides come close as Thiago Silva was denied by Ederson from a corner, and as City returned up the other end of the pitch, Cancelo's cross was headed onto the post by Erling Haaland. It was a poor miss from the City striker, but he made up for it three minutes before the break as Haaland doubled the lead.
As City regained possession inside their own half, Haaland burst forward towards the Chelsea goal, dragging the Chelsea high line with him as he anticipated a through ball. Ilkay Gundogan managed to curl a wonderful long-range pass into the path of the Norwegian striker, and Haaland carried the ball into the box before firing past Kepa from close range.
With a two-goal lead, City didn't attack with as much intent in the second half, with Guardiola's side happy to absorb pressure and hold possession when they could. But, as they looked set to shutout the hosts with a 2-0 win, the Blues pulled a goal back in the 91st minute.
Playing a one-two with Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic broke into the box unmarked and found the bottom corner of the net, halving the deficit with three minutes of added time remaining. The goal set-up a nervy final few minutes for City, but they held out for all three points.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Chelsea 1-2 Man City
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that City could emerge victorious against Chelsea tonight, with an impressive first-half display in the simulation securing the win. The City midfield played a pivotal role in the result, potentially highlighting how important they could be at Stamford Bridge in the real game.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments.
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