Chelsea vs. Man City 2016: Prediction, Start Time, Team News For Premier League Match

In an eagerly anticipated contest between two championship challengers, Chelsea’s title surge will be put to its toughest test yet when Antonio Conte’s side heads to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Saturday.

Chelsea has won seven consecutive Premier League matches, conceding one goal in the process. It is a far cry from when Chelsea came into the dressing room 3-0 down at Arsenal on Sept. 24. At that point, any hope of a title challenge in Conte’s first season in charge looked a distant one. Indeed, in the days to come there would even be speculation that the former Juventus and Italy coach could be set for a ludicrously short stay at Stamford Bridge.

But Conte’s decision to switch his team’s formation to 3-4-2-1 at halftime of that match and then stick with it has paid dividends that surely not even he could have fully envisaged. Chelsea has been unstoppable since then, with its run of seven wins including victories over last season’s champions Leicester City, Manchester United and, last week, London rival Tottenham. Still, Conte is well aware of the challenge his team and strategy will come up against at the Etihad.

“Tomorrow it’s a really tough game, a great test for us and our formation,” he said in his pre-match press conference on Friday. “We know it won’t be easy, we face a really great team with great players and a good idea of football.

“We want to show we are working well and that we are growing. It’s another step for us to show what has changed since the start of the season. For sure it’s a big game. This season we’ve also played Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Man United. In this league, every game is big because it’s difficult, so tough. This is my first season in England and it’s fantastic, I’m looking forward to it.”

Such has been Conte’s impact on reshaping the team, that the loss of captain John Terry through injury is barely an afterthought. It was in the same fixture last season that the decision of then-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho to take Terry off at halftime caused a major storm. For Conte, it has been a different story, with Chelsea’s run of wins enabling him to keep him on the bench without controversy even while fielding three center-backs.

Manchester City’s captain and defensive linchpin will also be missing on Saturday, although there is far more regret about the circumstances involved. Vincent Kompany’s return to the side this season lasted just a handful of matches before another injury struck that is likely to see him ruled out for the rest of 2016.

And in contrast to Chelsea, Manchester City has registered just one shutout in its last 14 matches in all competitions. That record can also in part be ascribed to Guardiola’s proactive approach. And, as well as progressing through its Champions League group, the team has still lost just once this season in the Premier League and only sit one point off pace-setters Chelsea.

But Guardiola, who has won two Champions League titles and regularly been lauded as the world’s finest coach, has been full of praise for his Chelsea counterpart.

“Conte is without doubt one of the best, maybe the best coach in the world right now,” he said on Friday. “It’s the first time we are going yo face each other and it’s good to play against him.

“They were contenders to win the Premier League from the beginning. Now, maybe more than before. He made an exceptional job in Turin [with Juventus] and in the national team job. It doesn’t matter if it’s with Sienna, with Juventus or the national team, now Chelsea you realize his imprints on the team.

While Kompany is out, Raheem Sterling has been declared fit after overcoming a knee injury suffered in a 2-1 win over Burnley last week. Guardiola could alter his team, though, perhaps matching Chelsea’s formation. Despite starting Manchester City’s last two Premier League outings, Yaya Toure may also drop out.

Kickoff Time: 7:30 a.m. EST
TV Channel: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra