Chelsea will travel to the other side of Manchester to take on Manuel Pellegrini's men on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium. The fixture between Manchester City and Chelsea is the first big game of the new season of English Premier League (EPL) 2015-2016.
Jose Mourinho and his men in blue would be in search for the first victory of the new season of EPL as they were held by Swansea (2-2) in their opening fixture of the league. Chelsea did look vulnerable in that match against Swansea City and thus conceded two goals.
Thibaut Courtois was sent off in that game as he challenged Gomis in the penalty box and the referee thought that was a red-card challenge. Aptly, Courtois had to go out of the field. That gave Swansea City the chance to draw level with Chelsea who were leading in the game until the third quarter of the match. That would mean Asmir Begovic would don the goalkeeper's gloves in the crucial match against City.
Meanwhile, City started off with their EPL 2015-2016 campaign with a comfortable victory against West bromwich Albion (3-0). Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany scored those goals against the Baggies. City would look to bolster their attacking front with Sergio Aguero for the all-important game against the Blues as he is in a good form. This would mean that the attacking line of City will consist of Raheem Sterling, Aguero, Silva and Jesus Navas, which could be a potential threat to Chelsea's defense.
"Maybe this is not the best moment for such an important game, but it is the same for the both teams. No one has an advantage, except we have home advantage. We cannot be thinking about winning the title in the second game of the season but we must remember the importance of picking up as many points as we can at home," Pellegrini told reporters ahead of Sunday's match against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.
Toure was brilliant in the last game against West Brom and showcased his quality with which he dominates the midfield. Kompany lead in the defense line and apart from a few slip ups, they did not make any major mistakes. Joe Hart got his first clean sheet of the season as well.
The defending champions will be aware that three points against City would be absolutely fantastic at the start of the season. Mourinho would want to leave the brawl that he had with his medical staff and would want to focus in the upcoming game.
There are no signs of serious injuries so far for Chelsea. But Oscar took a blow during the training ahead of Sunday's game and might not be fit for the match. In that case, Ramires might be in the starting XI. Courtois will be unavailable for the match as he had seen the red card in the last game and thus he will be replaced by Begovic.
On the other hand, City would certainly add Aguero in the playing XI as he is fit and raring to go against the Blues. Pellegrini would not want to tickle his winning combination otherwise. CIty has already won their first game of the EPL campaign and they would look forward to make it two in two but as it will not be an easy three points to earn.
Expected Lineups:
Manchester City: Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Clichy; Fernandinho, Toure, Silva, Navas, Sterling; Aguero.
Chelsea: Begovic; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Moses, Hazard, Willian; Costa.
Where to watch live:
Get the Video Highlights with all the Goals HERE
The Super Sunday of the English Premier League 2015-2016 is here and it will showcase its first big fixture of the season. The game between Manchester City and Chelsea is scheduled for an 4 pm BST (8.30 pm IST, 3pm GMT and 11am EST) start. Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD1 will provide live coverage of the EPL match, while the match can also be watched via live streaming online on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
Catch the Premier League action in the UK on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD 1, with the live stream options on Sky Go and Watch Sky Sports. Audience in the UK can also listen to West Brom vs Man City live on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Audience in the US can catch all the action live on NBC Sports, while the game can also be live streamed on NBC Live Extra.
Viewers in Australia can watch the game live on Fox Sports, with the live stream options on Fox Sports EPL and Foxtel Play.
