Man City suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Liverpool in the Premier League right before the international break and next up they welcome Chelsea at the Etihad.
City have faltered at the most crucial moment as their 3-1 loss two weeks ago now means they are nine points behind league leaders Liverpool and even Chelsea are above them on the table.
A win vs Chelsea will surely calm a lot of nerves but if things go a bit sideways then the Pep Guardiola castle could come crashing down.
The Blues might have made a rocky start to the 2019-20 season but are currently unbeaten in their last five league games which will surely give Frank Lampard’s men a lot of confidence going into this match despite it being an away fixture.
Man City news vs Chelsea:
The first and perhaps the biggest setback for Pep Guardiola will be the absence of Bernardo Silva who is ruled out due to suspension after admitting a breach of FA Rule E3.
Silva has been a key player for Man City this season and his absence will be a bit of a concern for the manager but the Spanish boss does have a like-to-like replacement in the form of Riyad Mahrez.
Mahrez will operate down the right flank while Raheem Sterling will be back in action after a turbulent week with the England national team squad.
Sergio Aguero is a guaranteed starter given that this is such a key encounter but Gabriel Jesus will most certainly come on in the second half if the Citizens cannot secure the three points.
David Silva missed the Liverpool clash but the Spaniard will return to the first XI meaning Guardiola will revert back to a three-man midfield with Ilkay Gundogan and possibly Kevin De Bruyne playing alongside Silva.
Aymeric Laporte remains a long-term absentee for Man City meaning John Stones will once again be partnered by Fernandinho in central defence on Saturday.
Oleksandr Zinchenko is still recovering from a knee injury and is ruled out of the Man City vs Chelsea clash. This absence means Kyle Walker will play on the right-hand side while Angelino operates on the left.
Ederson Moreas did not play against Liverpool due to an injury but the Man City No 1 has made full recovery and should replace Claudio Bravo infront of goal on Saturday vs Chelsea.
