Manchester City will kick off their 2024/25 Premier League campaign against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on August 18 at 14:30 BST. Man City faced the Blues a few weeks ago in their pre-season tour of the US, winning 4-2 thanks to an Erling Haaland hattrick.
Team News
Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Rodri and Oscar Bobb will be missing from the game. Bobb picked up an injury in training and is expected to be out for a couple of months. This is a particular shame as the young Norwegian had an excellent pre-season.
Phil Foden, Rodri and Kyle Walker have returned to training following their extended vacations but are unlikely to start. While Foden and Walker may make substitute appearances, Guardiola has stated that Rodri won’t be involved. Jack Grealish is also a doubt for the game.
From Chelsea, Reece James is confirmed to be out with doubts regarding the fitness of Nicolas Jackson, Axel Disasi and Omari Kellyman.
Chelsea vs Man City – Match Preview
Chelsea have a new manager in Enzo Maresca, who previously served as Guardiola’s assistant at Ma City. Maresca led Leicester City to the EFL Championship title last season, guiding them back to the Premier League after their surprise relegation.
Both Machester City and Chelsea had underwhelming pre-season tours in the US, each securing just one win. However, City’s recent victory over Manchester United in the Community Shield will have provided them with a morale boost heading into this match.
It will take time for the Chelsea squad to get up to speed with Maresca’s ideology and given the amount of players the London side has, it won’t be easy to get them all on the same page. Despite being the away team, The Cityzens will come into this game as the favourites.
Chelsea vs Manchester City – Predicted Lineups
Man City are expected to field a lineup similar to the one they used against Manchester United in the Community Shield. Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne are likely to start, with new signing Savinho potentially stepping in for the injured Bobb.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs Chelsea: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Kovacic, De Bruyne, Silva; Doku, Savinho; Haaland.
