Manchester City will return to action on Sunday following the postponement of their clash with Everton on 28 December.
They're scheduled to face 'big six' rivals Chelsea, a match that looks set to go ahead despite the Premier League cancelling their previous fixture at Goodison Park due to the COVID-19 outbreak at the club.
Gabriel Jesus and Kyle Walker both returned positive results on Christmas Day, while three further cases were confirmed on the night of their match with Everton. However, with the latest round of testing coming back negative, it now appears the fixture will proceed as planned.
Man City's trip to Goodison Park is off following a Covid-19 outbreak within the squad! #EVEMCI pic.twitter.com/DB5eLcNzD3
— 90min (@90min_Football) December 28, 2020
And for City, there will be no shortage of motivational tinder after defeat at Stamford Bridge last season saw them relinquish the title, Fernandinho's red card ultimately serving as the final nail in the coffin of an underwhelming campaign.
Revenge will no doubt be at the forefront of their minds, while Chelsea - having won just one of their last six - will look to alleviate the mounting pressure on manager Frank Lampard with a home victory over City for the third season in a row.
Here's 90min's preview of the game.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? Sunday 3 January
What Time Is Kick Off? 16:30 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Stamford Bridge
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports PL
Referee? Anthony Taylor
Team News
Hakim Ziyech will be assessed by Chelsea after a hamstring injury against Leeds United left him ruled out for the rest of December, while Reece James is also in contention to return having suffered a hamstring strain of his own in the boxing day defeat to Arsenal. Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva are likely to be restored to the starting XI after being rested in the draw with Aston Villa.
As for City, Jesus and Walker will both be self-isolating after their positive tests, but there is a possibility Eric Garcia could be welcomed back into the squad after he sustained a muscular problem in the win over Marseille on December 9. Sergio Aguero may also return to the side having featured off the bench in the win over Newcastle United.
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea: Mendy; Chilwell, Silva, Zouma, Azpilicueta; Mount, Kante, Kovacic; Werner, Abraham, Pulisic
Manchester City: Ederson; Zinchenko, Dias, Stones, Cancelo; Rodri, Gundogan; Sterling, De Bruyne, B.Silva; Aguero
Recent Form
Chelsea's faltering title challenge suffered another setback on Monday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa.
That made it just one win in six in all competitions; the £200m of summer investment seemingly yet to materialise into the progress that many expected would follow Champions League qualification last season.
Timo Werner and Kai Havertz - two marquee summer signings - are still acclimatising to their new surroundings, while Edouard Mendy, another expensive addition, has made a few high-profile errors of late, even if the Chelsea defence - as a whole - has looked far more secure with the arrival of Thiago Silva this season.
The same could be said of City, yet they did not need a serial winner to join from abroad. Apparently, all they needed was John Stones, who has risen to the fore since his reintegration into the side and formed a formidable partnership with Ruben Dias.
Keeping a clean sheet in each of his last six games, he has helped provide the platform for City's 10-match unbeaten streak, a run which has largely gone under the radar. Granted, they remain in 8th, and still aren't at their swashbuckling best going forward, but with two games in hand on some of the teams around them, City are closer to the summit than the table might suggest.
Chelsea
Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa (28/12)
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea (26/12)
Chelsea 3-0 West Ham (21/12)
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Chelsea (15/12)
Everton 1-0 Chelsea (12/12)
Manchester City
Manchester City 2-0 Newcastle (26/12)
Arsenal 1-4 Manchester City (22/12)
Southampton 0-1 Manchester City (19/12)
Manchester City 1-1 West Bromwich Albion (15/12)
Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City (12/12)
Prediction
Two sturdy defences, two similar formations, and one stuttering attack: this could be a difficult watch.
If Pep Guardiola's men are to rediscover their goalscoring mojo, then it is unlikely to be found against a Chelsea side that have tended to adopt a decidedly safety-first approach in matches against fellow members of the 'Big Six'. They drew 0-0 with both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, games in which Lampard's priority was clear: defence.
That said, if he is indeed fit enough to start, then City will have to watch out for Hakim Ziyech, Chelsea's creator-in-chief, whose absence has been sorely felt in recent weeks. His ability to create space where there isn't any could be vital in what looks set to be a highly attritional affair.
Prediction: Chelsea 0-0 Manchester City
Source : 90min