Premier League match time: Chelsea vs Manchester City
It will be Premier League match time again at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea prepare to host Manchester City in match week 30 on Saturday 19 March.
The game will be the second of a two-legged contest; the first, received by Manchester City on September 26, 2010, ended 1-0 in favor of the hosts. City talismanic striker Tevez scored the only goal of the game, on time, to hand the champions their first defeat of the season.
The day City showed efficiency more than style; their defense was impressive as they closed the spaces preventing Chelsea from finding scoring opportunities. That said, Chelsea were in a foul mood, especially in midfield, where any creative moves were thwarted by three holding midfielders employed by Mancini. As a result, Chelsea’s forwards did not have a continuous serve; Added to that, his main striker, Drogba, was far below his best. That prompted Ancelotti to withdraw his star striker after the break, a decision that would have been unthinkable earlier in the season.
Eventually the game proved far less exciting than its billing, especially the first half considering it was a clash of the two richest teams in the Premiership, both brimming with big names. The game was akin to two heavyweights sizing each other up. City deserve praise for dominating a midfield made up of the likes of Essien and Mikel, with Gareth Barry the standout player of the day. Kompany and Kolo Touré highlighted their credentials as the best centre-backs in the business, while Silva paired well with Tevez and could become City’s most exciting prospect of their campaign.
Head to head, Chelsea have a 14-4 lead in the last 20 league games played between the sides, with the remaining 2 games drawn.
In their last 10 league games, Chelsea have recorded 5 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses; Manchester City have won 5 of their last 10, while losing 2 and drawing the remaining 3. Of their 13 home games this season, Chelsea have won 9 while drawing and losing 2 each, while Manchester City have won 6 of their 14 games. along the way, losing and drawing 4 each.
On matchday 29, Chelsea won 3-2 away at Blackpool; Manchester City beat Wigan 1-0 at home. In current form, Chelsea can expect a tough fight from Manchester City, despite the Stamford Bridge team’s home advantage.
Chelsea’s starting eleven against Blackpool was made up of the following players: Cech, Bosingwa, David Lutz, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Zhirkov, Drogba and Torres. Kalou, Malouda and McEachran appeared as substitutes.
Manchester City featured the following men in their starting eleven against Wigan: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta, Vieira, Barry, Silva, Y Toure, Balotelli and Tevez. Kolarov, Dzeko and De Jong were used as substitutes.