WHO: Manchester City against Chelsea
What: English Premier League
Where: Stadium Etihad, Manchester, UK
When: 17:30 (17:30 GMT) on Saturday
Follow Al Jazeeer’s live broadcast followed by our text and photo comments of the match.
Next two Manchester City games in the Premier League and Champions League, their manager Pep Guardiola compared with the “finals” of the surrounded English champion.
Chelsea arrives at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday with a City holder who lags 12 points for leading Liverpool, who also has a game in Jurnjava.
Guardiola’s team, which is the fifth and has two points behind the blues, awaits a match that has to win in Club Brugge in Belgium or threatening to eliminate the Champions League at the first obstacle.
“The next two games are really very important, the finals with us,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday, “Our people will support us. We are very close on the table [to Chelsea] Even with the big big problems we had in the recent past. ”
What has happened to Man City?
Despite a recent climb up the Premier League table, City are yet to fully emerge from their surprise slump which saw Guardiola’s side register only one win in nine matches in all competitions at one stage.
The 4-2 defeat at Paris St Germain on Wednesday, when they squandered a two-goal lead, has left them one place outside of the Champions League’s playoff places with one game of the league phase remaining. It caps a run of two wins in seven European games.
When pushed on whether City will qualify for next season’s Champions League – which can be achieved by winning this season’s competition or finishing in the top four in the Premier League – Guardiola replied: “We can make it. Why should I think differently? We’re going to make it. I think it is going to happen. I am very very positive.”
Who are Man City’s new January transfer window signings?
In an attempt to reverse the travails of a team that secured an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, City have embarked on a January spending spree in the transfer window. Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush have all been acquired at a cost of more than $150m.
“Vitor is young, he has a huge personality, needs time. If he’s here with us, of course, he can start,” Guardiola said.
“Khusanov has already settled for the fact that he played in the French league, handling tough, quick, fast players. But he doesn’t speak much English so communication will be one of the situations that we have to deal with.
“Marmoush will adapt quick. They will make us strong and I’m pretty sure that the club decided for this prospective players for the future and many years.”
Introducing @ManCity‘s three new signings 🆕
Which player will make the biggest impact for Pep Guardiola’s side? pic.twitter.com/lAXxra2YNU
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 23, 2025
Friends reunited in the dugout as Man City entertain Chelsea
Chelsea are managed by Guardiola’s former assistant Enzo Maresca, who spent a season alongside the Spaniard in 2022-2023.
This isn’t the first meeting between the pair this season, however. City won 2-0 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season thanks to goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic.
The Blues ended a five-game streak without a win in the league, in which they lost twice, by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 in their last outing. The barren run, prior to Monday’s win at Stamford Bridge, dented an incredibly strong start to life in London for Maresca, whose side had unexpectedly become title contenders.
“I recognised his [Maresca’s] A team from day one, even when we played with them at the Summer Camp in the United States, ”Guardiola said. “I started to see many things we talked about, many times in recent years together. Really good. ”
Chelsea’s coach supports Guardiola to recover
In the meantime, Maresca gathered around Guardiola and said that the stroked coach of City needed support. “Pep is strong enough in things like this. But surely, like any human being, he needs support at the moment, they have always been at the top for the last eight years, “Maresca said to the gathered media at Chelsea’s training.
Maresca said Chelsea would have a hard time defeating City, despite the bad form of the host. “With this club and these players, when in difficult moments, they want to show how good they are. I think it’s never a good time to play against City, ”he said.
“It is normal in football to live the moments they are in. They will surely return to winning the trophy soon.”
Premier League Table after 22. Circle 👀 pic.twitter.com/sprwfxd21F
– Prime Minister League (@premierleague) January 21, 2025
Can Marescin Chelsea take the title of the Premier League of Man City?
Maresca has a long history with City because he worked as a coach at the club before he went to take over the manager’s job in Parma.
After the Italian side dismissed him, he returned to City to work as an assistant Guardiola during their triple victory and said he was eternally grateful to the club.
“My relationship with Pep and the club is fantastic. I will always be grateful to City for the confidence he has made because they invited me after the Italian club fired me after two or three months, ”he added.
Whether Chelsea is good enough to be considered a real candidate for the title of this season, Maresca replied: “No, not for the title. If you look at December and January, there is a difficult moment in front of us. ”
Will Chelsea sign Garnacha from Man UTD?
The Blues themselves were associated with the move of Manchester United striker Alejandra Garnacha in the current transitional period, which ends on January 31, and Maresca admitted that he “always looks at situations”.
The move for Garnacha, however, was completely rejected: “No, no. I am happy with the ones we have at the moment, ”said Maresca.
“We said many times on the right, it’s Pedro [Neto] And Noni [Madueke] and the left side is Jadon [Sancho]. Misha [Mudryk] He was with us, and now he’s not with us. Tyrique [George] is a young profile that can help us so we’re ok at this point. ”
Chelsea team
Levi Colwill and Enzo Fernandez are expected to be ready despite missing the win against Wolves.
“Romeo Lavia is absent because of the injury, which is expected to break out for a few more weeks.
News of the Man City team
Ruben Dias and Jeremy Loca will miss the match. The first was replaced at halftime in Paris on Wednesday due to an abductor injury.
Three new reinforcements of City: Marmoush, Reis and Khusanov are all in the match team.
Head in the head
This is the 177th match in the 1907 match and 2-2 draw in West London.
City is undefeated in 10 games against Chelsea and won at eight. The last victory of the Blue was scored 1-0 in the 2021 Champions League final.
This interrupted a series of three wins for the club headquartered in London, which included a away win in the Premier League and a home win in the FA Cup that season.
Ready? 🫵 pic.twitter.com/sumsgwyflt
– Prime Minister League (@premierleague) January 24, 2025
