Football Previews
Manchester City vs Chelsea
Competition – Barclays Premier League
Stadium: Etihad Stadium
Date: 25th January 2025
Kick-off time – 17:30 GMT
Manchester City will look to bounce back from their disappointing midweek outing in the Champions League when they welcome Chelsea to the Etihad on Saturday.
Just when they thought they had arrested their recent slumber, Pep Guardiola’s side hit a new low in the Champions League, throwing away a two-goal lead on their way to a 4-2 loss against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. That game again highlighted their recent inability to see out matches, as it was the ninth time they have lost after being ahead in all competitions this season – the most of any English top-flight side.
The loss followed a 6-0 hammering of Ipswich Town in the Premier League so while City will be disappointed, they will be confident to bounce back here, especially as they are unbeaten in their last ten fixtures against Chelsea (W8, D2).
The big-money signing of Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt is also expected to give them more potency up top. However, the hosts have lost their last three Premier League games played immediately after a midweek European clash so they will be hoping that there isn’t another hangover here.
Meanwhile, Chelsea will look to make it two wins in two games when they face Manchester City on Saturday. After a run of five games without a win, the Blues recorded a league win on Monday when they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1, giving their top-four chances a much-needed boost.
As a result, they come into this clash above their hosts. It is the first time they come into a January Premier League match sitting ahead of Manchester City in the table since 2016-17. They’ll arrive at the Etihad knowing that defeat will see City leapfrog them in the table though, so head coach Enzo Maresca will be desperate to avoid that fate here.
However, that could be easier said than done, as Chelsea have kept just one clean sheet in their last 19 away H2Hs, with the Londoners failing to score on ten of those occasions.
Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:
| April 7, 2025 | ||
| Leicester City | 20:00 | Newcastle United |
| April 12, 2025 | ||
| Manchester City | 12:30 | Crystal Palace |
| Brighton & Hov… | 15:00 | Leicester City |
| Nottingham Forest | 15:00 | Everton |
| Southampton | 15:00 | Aston Villa |
| Arsenal | 17:30 | Brentford |
| April 13, 2025 | ||
| Chelsea | 14:00 | Ipswich Town |
| Liverpool | 14:00 | West Ham United |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 14:00 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Newcastle United | 16:30 | Manchester United |
| April 14, 2025 | ||
| AFC Bournemouth | 20:00 | Fulham |
| April 16, 2025 | ||
| Newcastle United | 19:30 | Crystal Palace |
| April 19, 2025 | ||
| Brentford | 15:00 | Brighton & Hov… |
| Crystal Palace | 15:00 | AFC Bournemouth |
| Everton | 15:00 | Manchester City |
| West Ham United | 15:00 | Southampton |
| Aston Villa | 17:30 | Newcastle United |
Premier League Table
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | G | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 31 | 22 | 7 | 2 | 72 | 30 | +42 | 73 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 31 | 17 | 11 | 3 | 56 | 26 | +30 | 62 |
| 3 | Nottingham Forest | 31 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 51 | 37 | +14 | 57 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 31 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 53 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 31 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 57 | 40 | +17 | 52 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 31 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 46 | 46 | +0 | 51 |
| 7 | Newcastle United | 29 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 49 | 39 | +10 | 50 |
| 8 | Fulham | 31 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 47 | 42 | +5 | 48 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hov… | 31 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 49 | 47 | +2 | 47 |
| 10 | AFC Bournemouth | 31 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 51 | 40 | +11 | 45 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 39 | 35 | +4 | 43 |
| 12 | Brentford | 31 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 51 | 47 | +4 | 42 |
| 13 | Manchester United | 31 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 37 | 41 | -4 | 38 |
| 14 | Tottenham Hotspur | 31 | 11 | 4 | 16 | 58 | 45 | +13 | 37 |
| 15 | Everton | 31 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 33 | 38 | -5 | 35 |
| 16 | West Ham United | 31 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 35 | 52 | -17 | 35 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 31 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 43 | 59 | -16 | 32 |
| 18 | Ipswich Town | 31 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 31 | 65 | -34 | 20 |
| 19 | Leicester City | 30 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 25 | 67 | -42 | 17 |
| 20 | Southampton | 31 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 23 | 74 | -51 | 10 |
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