Manchester City v CHELSEA: Preview

Date: Sunday 4^th January 2026

Venue: Etihad Stadium

Kick-off: 17:30 GMT

Welcome, fellow Chelsea sufferers, to another episode of “Who Wants to Manage a Circus?” Under Maresca, we’d all but given up on guessing the starting eleven—now, thanks to Eghbali and the raft of directors robbing a living off the club, we get the added bonus of manager bingo every single year. So here we are, preparing to face Manchester City, led by the under-21 coach, in the latest instalment of Blue Co’s “Innovation in Chaos” series.

As for Maresca’s exit, depending on which “source” you believe – the ones who whisper sweet nothings to the media or those desperately ambitious social media accounts –he was either a delicate flower unfit for Stamford Bridge, or he had already packed his suitcase for greener pastures. Personally, I reckon he did a Tuchel—dared to question “the project” and promptly got shown the door. Points scored with supporters for calling it out but P45 territory when you’re that far down the pecking order in terms of valued positions in the Chelsea hierarchy.

Let’s be honest, Maresca wasn’t Mr Right, and no trophies were going to change that. But Blue Co? They’re always up for a surprise appointment—why not let the medical staff decide who plays, how long, and in which position? Picture the scene: we need a goal, Palmer’s minutes are up per the spreadsheet, and off he trots. The support melts down, and it’s the manager taking dog’s abuse. Who amongst us could mouth the party line after that Bournemouth draw without losing the will to live? Full credit to him for refusing to read the script. Unfortunately, “having a spine” isn’t in the job description these days.

Next up in the revolving door: Potter 2.0, who’ll no doubt be grateful to dodge City on his debut, happy to nod along until the inevitable micromanaging sends him packing. Rosenior? Nothing personal, mate, but you’re just another name on the “future pub quiz question” list. In 12 to 18 months, we’ll be hunting for the only PE teacher in Europe who hasn’t heard of Blue Co’s masterplan (“Sell, rotate, repeat!”). The only real game plan seems to be flipping players for profit and treating wins like an accidental bonus. No FOS sponsor, no fans left unalienated, and the claim about Roman Abramovich running a dodgy ship now hangs over Eghbali like the sword of Damocles.

Anyway, on to the football—yes, apparently, we’re still doing that. Manchester City, looking to bounce back to the top, haven’t let us win since the 2021 Champions League final, they’re unbeaten in 11 against us and have won their last eight at home—so, naturally, they’ll be rubbing their hands at the prospect of a managerless Chelsea, with Eghbali presumably texting through today’s substitutions.

In charge, or at least holding the clipboard, is under-21s coach Calum McFarlane—the latest to draw the short straw. Not a clue who’s allowed to play, or how long they’ll last, but with chaos now officially part of our brand, today’s entertainment probably won’t win many beauty contests. Kicking off the weekend in fourth, 15 points off the summit, we’re as close to mid-table anonymity as we are to the Champions League spots. Our dreams of European nights are fading faster than our memory of a settled squad, and with the managerial merry-go-round spinning at full speed, expect some top-notch free-falling down the table, starting today.

The irony is this is one of a handful of games Maresca probably would have got something out of!

MANAGER’S VIEWS

Going into today’s game, Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, says “We won’t talk much if we don’t know which manager will be there and I don’t know what’s going to happen, concern is thinking about yourself, and our people are going to help us with two tough games against Chelsea and Brighton. Chelsea have always been dangerous and the Premier League is dangerous every game.”

Calum McFarlane, meanwhile, says “My message [to the players] is to bring the best version of themselves and ultimately put in a good performance. It’s about Chelsea versus City, two top sides. We will go there and compete. I wouldn’t say we have nothing to lose. We have seen how this team can do in big moments so we are really looking forward to that challenge. It’s about them producing the level of performance they’ve done before against top sides.

We have had time to get our heads around how Man City have been playing and what their games have looked like. We are quite lucky they played on Thursday [against Sunderland] as well so we could watch that game. We have had a chance to look and put some ideas together. It’s about giving the players the support they need to execute a performance.”

SQUAD NEWS

For Manchester City, Oscar Bobb (hamstring), John Stones (thigh) and Mateo Kovacic (heel) are out injured, and both Savinho and Nico Gonzalez came off against Sunderland. Savinho is ruled out, whilst Gonzalez fitness is not yet known. Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait Nouri meanwhile, are at the Africa Cup of Nations.

For Chelsea, For Chelsea, Levi Colwill (knee), and Romeo Lavia, Dario Essugo (both thigh) remain out injured. Marc Cucurella is a doubt, Mykhaylo Mudryk is still suspended, and Moises Caicedo also sits this one out after his fifth yellow card of the season against Bournemouth.

TEAMS

MANCHESTER CITY (Possible line-up): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Silva, Rodri, Reijnders; Cherki, Foden; Haaland

CHELSEA (Possible line-up): Sanchez; Acheampong, Fofana, Chalobah, Gusto; James, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro

LAST SEASON

Manchester City 3-1 Chelsea (25 January 2025)

CURRENT FORM (PL)

MANCHESTER CITY: WWWWWD

CHELSEA: LDWDLD

OTHER STUFF

• Manchester City are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games against Chelsea
• Chelsea have won just three of their last 16 visits to the Etihad
• Manchester City have only failed to score in one of their last 22 Premier League games against Chelsea
• Manchester City have won their last eight Premier League home games
• Chelsea have won just one of their last seven Premier League games
• Chelsea have won their first league game in just one of the last nine calendar years

PREDICTION

Sportsmole: Manchester City 3-1 Chelsea