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WHO: Manchester City vs Chelsea
What: English Premier League
Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom
When: 17:30 (17:30 GMT) on Saturday
Follow the build-up live on Al Jazeera, followed by our text and photo commentary of the match.
Manchester City's next two games, in the Premier League and Champions League, have been compared to 'Finals' for the English champions obsessed by their manager Pep Guardiola.
Chelsea arrive at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday with holders City 12 points clear of league leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in the chasing pack.
Guardiola's side, who are fifth and two points behind the Blues, then face a must-win at Club Brugge of Belgium or face elimination from the Champions League at the first hurdle.
“The next two games are really really important, finals with us,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday “Our people will support us. We're very close in the table (to Chelsea), even with the big big problems we've had in the recent past. “
What happened to Man City?
Despite a recent climb up the Premier League table, City are yet to fully emerge from their surprising slump, which saw Guardiola's side register just one win in nine games in all competitions at one stage.
A 4-2 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, when they squandered a two-goal lead, left them one place outside the Champions League play-off places with one game remaining in the league stage. It ends a run of two wins in seven European games.
When pressed on whether City will qualify for next season's Champions League – which can be achieved by winning the competition this season or finishing in the top four in the Premier League – Guardiola replied: “We can do it. Why should I think differently? We will do it. I think it will happen. I am very positive. “
Who are Man City's new signings in the transfer window?
In an attempt to turn around the travels of a team that secured an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, City embarked on a January spending spree in the transfer window. Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Husanov and All are acquired by Omar Marmus at a cost of over $150 million.
“Vitor is young, he has a huge personality, he needs time. If he is here with us, of course he can start,” said Guardiola.
“Husanov has already come to terms with the fact that he has played in the French league, dealing with tough, quick and fast players. But he doesn't speak much English, so communication will be one of the situations we have to deal with.
“Marmoush will adapt quickly. They will make us strong and I'm pretty sure the club has decided on these future players for the future and many years to come. “
Introduction @Mancitythree new signings 🆕
Which player will make the biggest impact for Pep Guardiola's side? pic.twitter.com/laxxra2ynu
– Premier League (@PremierLeague) January 23, 2025
Friends reunited in the dugout as Man City entertained Chelsea
Chelsea are managed by former Guardiola assistant Enzo Mareszka, who spent a season alongside the Spaniard in 2022-23.
However, this is not the first meeting between the pair this season. City won 2-0 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season thanks to goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic.
The Blues ended a five-game winless run in the league in which they lost twice, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 in their last outing. A barren run before Monday's win at Stamford Bridge has capped an incredibly strong start to life in London for Maresca, whose side have unexpectedly become title contenders.
“I recognized his (Maresca) team from day one, even when we played them in the summer camp in the States,” Guardiola said. “A lot of things I started to see that we talked about many, many times in the last years together. Really good. “
Chelsea manager backs Guardiola to bounce back
Maresca, meanwhile, rallied around Guardiola and said the embattled City boss needed support. “Pep is strong enough in this way. But certainly, like any human being, he needs support at this moment, for the last eight or nine years they have always been at the top,” Maresca told the assembled media at Chelsea's training ground.
Maresca said Chelsea will make it difficult for City to win despite their hosts' poor form. “With this club and these players, when they are in a difficult moment, they want to show how good they are. I don't think there's ever a good time to play a city,” he said.
“It's normal in football to live moments like these. Surely they will be back to winning trophies soon.”
The table in the Premier League after match century 22 👀 pic.twitter.com/sprwfxd21f
– Premier League (@PremierLeague) January 21, 2025
Can Maresca's Chelsea take the Premier League title from Man City?
Maresca has a long history with City working as a coach at the club before leaving to take up the manager's job at Parma.
After being sacked by the Italian side, he returned to City to work as Guardiola's assistant during their winning run and said he was eternally grateful to the club.
“My relationship with Pep and the club is fantastic. I will always be grateful to City for the trust they showed in me because they called me after an Italian club sacked me after two or three months,” he added.
On whether Chelsea are good enough to be considered genuine title contenders this season, Maresca replied: “No, not for the title. If you look at December and January, we have a difficult time. “
Will Chelsea sign Ganacho from Man Utd?
The Blues have themselves been linked with a move for Manchester United striker Alejandro Ganacho in the current transfer window, which closes on January 31, and Maresca admitted he is “always looking at situations”.
However, this move for Garnacho in particular was completely rejected: “No, no. I'm happy with the ones we have at the moment,” Maresca said.
“We've said many times on the right side, it's Pedro (Neto) and Noni (Madueke) and the left side is Jadon (Sancho). Misha (Mudrik) was with us and now he is not with us. Tyrique (George) is a young profile that can help us at this point, we are good. “
Chelsea News Team
Levi Colville and Enzo Fernandez are expected to be fit despite missing the win against Wolves.
“Romeo Lavia is out with an injury which is expected to keep him out for a few more weeks.
Man City team news
Ruben Diaz and Jeremy Docu will miss the match. The former was substituted at half-time in Paris on Wednesday with an abductor injury.
City's three new signings: Marmus, Reis and Husanov are in the squad for the game.
Head on head
It is the 177th appearance in a fixture that dates back to 1907. and a 2-2 draw in West London.
City are unbeaten in 10 games against Chelsea, winning eight. The Blues' last win came in a 1-0 win in the 2021 Champions League final.
It ended a three-game winning streak for the London-based club, which included a Premier League win and an FA Cup win this season.
Ready? 🫵 pic.twitter.com/sumsgwyflt
– Premier League (@PremierLeague) January 24, 2025
