Manchester City vs Chelsea (Premier League): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How To Watch

Manchester City welcome Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening, as the blues continue their quest to retain the Premier League title this season.

The reverse fixture was an instant Premier League classic – a game that saw a staggering eight goals scored between the two clubs – a last-minute equaliser and a haunting Cole Palmer goal against his former club.

Manchester City have kicked on since, and are still in the running to retain not only the Premier League but the treble as well, although Pep Guardiola has laughed off the chances of that happening.

Saturday evening’s fixture follows on from City’s midweek clash in the UEFA Champions League, where the reigning Kings of Europe travelled to Copenhagen for the first-leg of their round of 16 tie in the competition.

The away side emerged as 1-3 victors on the night, with goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden to give the blues a healthy cushion for the return leg in early March at the Etihad.

However, the victory came at quite a cost, with Jack Grealish pulling up in the first-half with a muscular problem, while Bernardo Silva limped off in the second period of 45 minutes after a hefty challenge to his ankle left him in a heap.

Reports have since confirmed Jack Grealish will be out for ‘two to three weeks’, while Bernardo Silva is a doubt for the clash this weekend after his injury. Josko Gvardiol is also ruled out, while Mateo Kovacic and Sergio Gomez are set to return to the squad.

With some early team news being confirmed, here is everything you need to know for Saturday’s clash with Chelsea in the Premier League!

Fixture Details

Manchester City host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday 17^th February, with kick-off scheduled for 17:30 GMT.

Team News

Jack Grealish and Josko Gvardiol are both ruled out of this one, with the pair facing several weeks on the side-lines with their respective injuries. Bernardo Silva is also a doubt for the clash, after he received a heavy knock to his ankle against FC Copenhagen.

Mateo Kovacic and Sergio Gomez are set to return to the Manchester City matchday squad, after the pair picked up a couple of knocks to leave them out of recent matches as well as the trip to Denmark.

As for Mauricio Pochettino, the Chelsea manager will be without Carney Chukwuemeka, after the Stamford Bridge boss confirmed his young talent twisted his ankle and will be ruled out for the trip to the Etihad.

Pochettino has also confirmed the absence of Thiago Silva, who is out through a “minor injury.”

Lesley Ugochukwu, Romeo Lavia, Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella remain unavailable as long-term absentees, while Benoit Badiashile is also unavailable with a groin injury.

Head to Head

Chelsea have failed to beat Manchester City in the last seven meetings between the two clubs (one draw, six losses), while seven of the last 10 meetings have been won by a singular goal.

Saturday evening’s encounter will be the 78^th league meeting, with Manchester City winning 37 compared to Chelsea’s 24 victories.

In 23 meetings between the two managers, Mauricio Pochettino has only defeated his counterpart four times, drawing six and losing 13.

Statistics

• Manchester City have won six of their last eight Premier League home games against Chelsea (L2), keeping a clean sheet in five of those victories.

• Chelsea have kept just one clean sheet in their last 19 Premier League meetings with Manchester City, with that coming via a 2-0 home win in December 2018 under Maurizio Sarri.

• Manchester City and Chelsea played out a 4-4 draw in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge – the most goals scored between these sides in a single Premier League campaign is nine in 2009/19, with the Citizens winning 2-1 (H) and 4-2 (A) that season.

• The 4-4 draw between Man City and Chelsea in the reverse fixture ended a run of 16 Premier League games without a draw between the sides. The last time both meetings ended level in a season was in 2014/15.

• Manchester City have won their last six Premier League matches, having only won one of their previous six games (D4 L1). Four of those wins have come in 2024 – the only time they’ve won their first five Premier League games in a calendar year was in 2021 (won first 13 games).

How to Watch

For viewer’s in the United Kingdom, you can view Saturday’s match on Sky Sports.

For viewer’s in the United States, you can view the match on Peacock, with kick-off scheduled for 12:30PM EST.

Full global TV channel listings are available here.

City Xtra will also have live coverage of the game across our X, Facebook, and Instagram, with our live WatchAlong show available on our official YouTube channel from 16:30 (UK) – subscribe and turn notifications on!