Manchester City play Chelsea yet again this Sunday, as they host Graham Potter's side in the FA Cup third round.
City and Chelsea faced off in the Premier League just three days before the upcoming FA Cup clash, with Riyad Mahrez scoring the only goal in a narrow 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge. The two sides also met in the Carabao Cup third round at the beginning of November, with City winning that game 2-0.
Pep Guardiola 's recent record against the Blues is very impressive, winning the last four consecutive meetings without conceding a goal. City made it to the semi-final in last season's FA Cup, losing 3-2 to Liverpool in the penultimate game of the competition.
READ MORE: Guardiola's game of chess with City fans at Chelsea shows he is still the master
So, could City make it three wins from three against Chelsea this season and advance to the FA Cup fourth round? Let's take a look.
Man City vs Chelsea 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 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.
We predict that the Blues could line up in a 3-4-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Hall; Jorginho, Gallagher, Zakaria; Hutchinson, Aubameyang, Havertz.
The clash at the Etihad started evenly, but it was Chelsea who took the lead after 23 minutes when Kai Havertz beat the City high line, rounded the 'keeper and fired home from close range. It wasn't a great start from the hosts, but a quickfire double from Julian Alvarez turned the game on its head before halftime.
Alvarez was finding joy against the left side of the Chelsea defence, and the first goal came when he crept in at the back post to slide Phil Foden's drilled cross into the net. His second goal was the best of the two, with the striker sneaking in behind Lewis Hall to meet Bernardo Silva's through ball before powering his strike into the top corner at the near post.
The visitors found an equaliser with a stroke of luck when Stefan Ortega's original save against Omari Hutchinson fell back to the feet of the youngster who volleyed into an empty net. It was against the run of play, but a moment of magic from Foden saw City regain the lead in a thrilling affair.
A short corner from City saw Silva receive the ball on the edge of the box, and the midfielder played a reverse pass back to Foden who was unmarked just inside the area. The Englishman skipped past Kalidou Koulibaly brilliantly and fired a curling shot across goal to send City back into the lead.
After regaining the lead, Chelsea failed to threaten, with the task at hand proving too much for the visitors. City controlled the latter stages of the game, and they managed to confirm the victory when Ilkay Gundogan made it 4-2 in the 86th minute.
Foden was causing havoc down the left and was the creator for City's fourth, chipping a ball into the box that was met by Gundogan's diving header, guiding the ball across goal and past Kepa to double their lead.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Man City 4-2 Chelsea
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that City could potentially make it three wins from three against Chelsea so far this season, winning 4-2 in the simulation. Victory would see City advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup, keeping Guardiola's side involved in every possible competition.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments.
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