Predicted Man City XI vs Chelsea: Cityzens keen to close the gap on Arsenal with title race wide open

Predicted Man City XI vs Chelsea: Cityzens keen to close the gap on Arsenal with title race wide open

Manchester City couldn’t have picked a better time to catch a second wind with the Cityzens kicking off an eight-game run-in with Sunday’s trip to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Pep Guardiola’s troops have been steamrolling through their fellow “Big Six” teams in recent weeks and are looking to add Chelsea to their hit list in a must-win contest.

City head west of the capital looking for a third consecutive victory after beating Arsenal 2-0 to lift the EFL Cup at Wembley Stadium before annihilating Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the FA Cup.

Guardiola’s side were coming off a disappointing run of form that had seen them pick up just one victory from five games across all competitions (D2, L2).

That run included a disappointing Champions League exit after losing 5-1 to Real Madrid in the last 16, as well as back-to-back Premier League draws against Nottingham Forest and West Ham United.

However, consecutive wins before the international break lifted the mood in the dressing room.

After flexing their muscles in domestic competitions, City must now turn their attention back to the Premier League, where they’ll be eyeing their first victory since a four-game winning streak in February.

Arsenal blew the title race wide open with a shocking 2-1 defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday, meaning City can close the gap to six points with a game in hand if they beat Chelsea this evening.

With a potential title-decider against Arsenal coming up next, City will be keen to make sure they’re heading into that fixture in the best position to pile the pressure on the Gunners.

How Manchester City could line up

Guardiola will likely stick with the same line-up that won the EFL Cup and made light work of Liverpool in the FA Cup, although Gianluigi Donnarumma should return to the XI after sitting out both games.

With Ruben Dias sidelined, Abdukodir Khusanov will likely keep his place alongside Marc Guehi at the heart of the defence while Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly line up on the flanks.

Bernardo Silva should keep Rodri company at the base of midfield while Jeremy Doku makes his first Premier League start since mid-January.

The 23-year-old will be joined by Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo, while Erling Haaland leads the line.