Man City vs Chelsea - Carabao Cup: Team news, lineups & prediction
Manchester City and Chelsea prepare to do battle in what looks like being the standout tie of the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday.
City have a particularly formidable record in the competition having won six of the last nine, while Chelsea have contested, and lost, two finals since 2019.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of their matchup.
Where are Man City vs Chelsea playing?
- Location: Manchester, England
- Stadium: Etihad Stadium
- Date: Wednesday 9 November
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST / 12:00 PST
- Referee: Simon Hooper
Man City vs Chelsea H2H Results (Last Five Games)
- Man City 2 Wins
- Chelsea 3 Wins
- Draws: 0
Current Form (Last Five Games)
- Man City: WDWWW
- Chelsea: DWLWL
Man City team news
Manchester City have always taken the Carabao Cup more seriously than most of their rivals among the Premier League elite, but Pep Guardiola is still expected to make sweeping changes.
Kyle Walker is still out and Joao Cancelo is set to serve a one-match ban in the competition, so 17-year-old Rico Lewis should get another chance to impress.
A shoulder problem is still keeping Kalvin Phillips out, so Cole Palmer should get more minutes on the pitch. Riyad Mahrez and Stefan Ortega should get starts too, while Erling Haaland is unlikely to risked up front.
Man City predicted line-up vs Chelsea
Manchester City Starting XI (4-3-3): Ortega; Lewis, Dias, Laporte, Gomez; Palmer, Rodri, Foden; Mahrez, Alvarez, Grealish.
Bench: Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Gundogan, Bernardo, Haaland, Ake.
Chelsea team news
Chelsea should ring the changes too, although their injuries are starting to stack up a little.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, N’Golo Kante, Wesley Fofana, Reece James and Ben Chilwell are all unavailable due to injury, and the game is expected to come too soon for Carney Chukwuemeka too.
Mateo Kovacic is still managing a calf problem so is unlikely to be risked. That should mean an opportunity for Conor Gallagher in midfield.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Man City
Chelsea starting XI (4-3-3): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Cucurella; Gallagher, Zakaria, Loftus-Cheek; Ziyech, Broja, Pulisic.
Bench: Bettinelli, Kovacic, Thiago, Mount, Havertz, Sterling, Aubameyang.
Man City vs Chelsea score prediction
Neither side are really firing on all cylinders right now, and you never really know how seriously the biggest clubs are going to take this particular competition.
Both managers ringing the changes adds another element of the unknown too, but that might mean it just comes down to tactical consistency, and Man City are the masters of that.
They will probably get the job done, and with it being at home they could well do it pretty comfortably.
Prediction: Man City 2-0 Chelsea