The game of the weekend in the Premier League is without
doubt the battle of 2nd v 3rd at the Etihad Stadium on
Sunday afternoon.
Both Manchester City and Chelsea will go into the game
knowing that the result could have a massive impact on the direction of their
season over the final running, and with just 12 games to go a win is vital for
both sides.
The big question is: will the Manchester side secure their
second place position and maybe make one final attempt to catch Manchester
United, or will Chelsea increase their chances of breaking back into the top
two?
In terms of stats it is a foregone conclusion. But everybody
knows that football games are not won based on stats. Chelsea have won ten out
of their last twelve away games compared to City who have lost their last
three.
Manchester City have won only once in the last four meetings
against Chelsea and have the lowest average points (0.87) for each game played
against Chelsea in their last four matches.
The key players to watch on Sunday will be Frank Lampard for
Chelsea and Edin Dzeko for Manchester City.
The Blue’s midfielder, still vying for a new contract, has
scored elven goals in thirteen appearances for Chelsea this season scoring in
the last four consecutive Premier League games. He has done this twice before
in 2005 and 2010.
As for Dzeko, he has scored six goals in seven appearances.
City have not gone four games without a win in the Premier League since
November 2009 when Roberto Mancini took over the managerial hot-seat from Mark
Hughes after a run of seven draws.
Interestingly, in their last 10 Premier League games both
sides have won 6, drawn 2 and lost 2, there is nothing between them.
But there is one thing for certain, if Manchester United win
against Queens Park Rangers this weekend and their city rivals fail to win, the
Premier League title race will be well and truly over.
Head-to-head
- Chelsea have won 10 of their 15 Premier League visits to Manchester City but have lost their last three trips.
- Manchester City have won five of their last eight games in all competitions against Chelsea, including August's Charity Shield.