On Sunday, Manchester City is set to clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in what promises to be another exciting Premier League encounter. However, Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea will have to manage without six key first-team players.
Chelsea injury news
According to the club website, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, and Christopher Nkunku will be unavailable for the upcoming Premier League fixture. These absences are long-term, and Pochettino has not reported any new concerns.
Mauricio Pochettino on Manchester City test
Despite this, Chelsea’s recent 4-1 victory over Tottenham showcased their potential, even though it was aided by two red cards for Ange Postecoglou’s team. Pochettino remains confident in his side’s ability to compete with Manchester City as he claims that they are not to be considered underdogs.
Pochettino stated in his press conference:
“For me they are the best team, have the best coaching staff and the best coach/manager. We need to tell the truth – it is one of the best organisations in the world.
“We need to give credit to Manchester City, from the top to the bottom, they are doing it all really well. It is going to be a challenge and we want to compete. We know it is going to be tough. But we are going to try to compete at our best and our goal is to win the three points.
“Chelsea never have that feeling of being an underdog. The feeling is always ‘you are Chelsea’. It is impossible, the history is there. But Monday [against Tottenham] showed we have talent and character to compete and to fight with the best clubs in England.”
Manchester City injury news
England defender John Stones suffered a muscle injury during the 3-0 win over Young Boys, which is unfortunate given his recent return to the team after being sidelined since August. However Pep Guardiola has mentioned that the injury might not be as severe as initially feared, although he will be unavailable for the weekend.
On the other hand, Manuel Akanji had to be removed from the starting XI against Young Boys, but there’s positive news regarding the Swiss defender who will return to the squad to face Chelsea.
Meanwhile Kevin De Bruyne is still weeks away from returning to training, according to the club website.