These two teams recently faced off in a pre-season match in the United States, where City secured a 4-2 win, thanks to a hat-trick from last season's Golden Boot winner, Erling Haaland. Chelsea, who finished sixth last season and earned a spot in European competition after a strong finish with five consecutive wins in May, parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino after just 10 months.
The decision for the Argentine to leave was mutual, and now, Enzo Maresca steps in as the club’s fourth manager since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over in May 2022.
Maresca, who led Leicester City to the Championship title last season, has a challenging task ahead as he aims to make a strong start with Chelsea after a mixed pre-season. Despite the club's busy transfer activity, spending over £150 million on 10 new players, Maresca's team managed just one win in six pre-season games, including a heavy defeat to City, a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid, and a 1-1 draw with Inter Milan.
Sunday's match is a tough debut for Maresca, who was previously an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at City. Chelsea is eager to break a six-game winless streak against the Citizens, though they have historically been strong in season openers, collecting more points than any other Premier League team from their first matches.
City, still the team to beat after winning their fourth consecutive title in 2023-24 and their sixth in seven seasons, finished last season two points ahead of Arsenal with 91 points and only three losses. With a seventh title in eight seasons in their sights, this season might be Guardiola’s last at the Etihad.
Like Chelsea, City had a somewhat uneven pre-season, missing several key players during their U.S. tour. They suffered losses to Celtic and AC Milan, drew with Barcelona before losing on penalties, but ended on a high note with a thrilling win over Chelsea.
Guardiola enters Sunday’s game with confidence, fresh off winning his 18th trophy with City after beating Manchester United on penalties to claim the Community Shield at Wembley.
City has a strong record at Stamford Bridge, remaining unbeaten in their last four league visits, and they've won their Premier League opener in 12 of the last 13 seasons, with the only exception being a loss to Tottenham three seasons ago.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Chelsea's only confirmed absentee for Sunday’s match is captain Reece James, who is out with a hamstring injury and suspended anyway after a red card in the Blues' second-to-last game of last season.Malo Gusto is likely to step in at right-back, while Robert Sanchez is expected to start in goal, ahead of new signing Filip Jorgensen. Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill are the likely choices for the central defensive partnership to protect Sanchez.
Romeo Lavia might make his Premier League debut for Chelsea, a year after joining the club and following an injury-hit 2023-24 season. He could join forces with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in midfield. Conor Gallagher is not expected to play, as Atletico Madrid has shown interest in him.
Cole Palmer, Chelsea's top scorer last season with 22 league goals, may feature on either wing if Maresca opts for a three-man midfield. Meanwhile, Pedro Neto and Marc Guiu are both competing to make their competitive debuts in attack, though one of them might lose out on a starting spot to Christopher Nkunku.
For Manchester City, Oscar Bobb is out for three to four months with a fractured fibula, and they’ll also be without star midfielder Rodri, who hasn’t trained since suffering a hamstring injury in the Euro 2024 final.
There’s also some doubt over the availability of Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, and John Stones, who missed the Community Shield and have only recently returned to training.
Former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic is the most likely to step into Rodri’s deep-lying midfield role, with support from Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva, or Kevin De Bruyne.
With Bobb unavailable, new signing Savinho might make his Premier League debut on the right wing, while Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish compete for a spot on the left, with Erling Haaland leading the attack.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Chelsea possible starting lineup:Sanchez; Gusto, W. Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Lavia, Caicedo; Neto, Nkunku, Palmer
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Bernardo, Kovacic; Savinho, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland
EXPERT PREDICTION
Chelsea 2-2 Manchester City
If last season’s dramatic 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge is any indication, Sunday’s match could be a thrilling, end-to-end battle between two teams eager to make a strong start to the new season.
Rodri’s absence is a significant setback for Man City, as they struggled without him last season. However, they’re still a formidable team and will likely find plenty of opportunities to exploit a Chelsea defense that has shown vulnerability.
