For the second time this month, Chelsea will travel to the Etihad Stadium to face off against the side from the blue half of Manchester as they look to lay down a marker for the rest of the season. Back pages have been awash with talks about horses, maths and what not as Mourinho tries to play mind games with a reluctant Pellegrini. There is a tantalising possibility that the side who lose this tie could end up without any silverware at the end of the season as which ever team gains the edge here is likely to carry on some morale boost into the final weeks of the season.
In an intriguing twist, one can wonder if getting knocked out of the cup might in fact boost the losing club's hopes of winning the league title as it reduces the number of fixtures, however for squads which have as much as depth as Chelsea's and Manchester City's, nothing less than a mentality of going all out for the win will do.
In the previous encounter between the two sides, Chelsea broke Manchester City's winning sequence in the league at home by emerging 1-0 victors from a hard fought contest.
Manchester City
Talks of a quadruple were rife a couple of weeks ago when everything seemed to be going smooth for Manchester City. Barcelona were being warned of how good this City side were and there was even talks of the Sky Blues starting that tie as favourites. However, all changed when Jose Mourinho came to town and that coupled with injuries to key players saw Chelsea upset the City charge. This was followed by a toothless draw at Norwich and further frustration followed when the game against Sunderland was cancelled. Thus, here City are, very much back in touch with reality and they will have to gear up for a feisty contest. People may have run out of superlatives to describe City's form at the Etihad Stadium recently but it must be remembered that Watford were leading by two goals in the fourth round of the cup. City need to guard against that type of complacency again.
With injuries to Fernandinho and Garcia, it remains intriguing to see whether Pellegrini will persist with Demichelis in midfield. The Argentine was bossed by Matic and Luiz two weeks ago and Jack Rodwell, who has shined against Chelsea in the past for Everton, should surely be considered a better bet. Out wide, Nasri's injury means Navas is likely to continue while their talismanic striker Aguero being injured means City will have to rely on Dzeko and Negredo again. Negredo, along with Yaya Toure, was played against Norwich despite being only half fit and this might indicate a reluctance from Pellegrini's part to trust his squad players. Against Chelsea, the pair will need to be all guns blazing if City are to continue challenging on all four fronts. The toss between Kolarov and Clichy for the left back slot will be an interesting one.
Chelsea
Despite Jose Mourinho's insistence that Chelsea is a work in progress, the Blues surely have to win at least a trophy this season. If the league title is not reached, Mourinho will at least be expected to deliver the FA Cup to the Blues and a season without a trophy would leave fans across the country questioning what the fuss was about Mourinho's return. Away from home, it has been hit and miss for Chelsea as they have succumbed to avoidable defeats, the most notable of which was the elimination from the other domestic cup in the Stadium of Light. In their most recent Premier League match, Chelsea conceded a needless late equaliser which resulted in high frustration from several players, most notably Branislav Ivanovic who ended the night in heated discussions with Petr Cech. Doubts remain about Mourinho's side to cut it away from home.
Chelsea have a mini defensive crisis as Gary Cahill and John Terry are facing a race against time to be fit for this game. If neither can recover, that would mean Ivanovic would move to centre half, Azpilicueta would switch sides and Ashley Cole would return at left back. However, reports emerging on Thursday morning suggest that Terry is likely to be fit for the crucial game. David Luiz will most likely be on centre half duties and thus Mikel might take up the shielding role in midfield alongside Matic. Ramires is likely to be deployed further up the field as he is always in the big games. Oscar is likely to be benched in favour of Willian given the latter's superb form this season. Fernando Torres might make a comeback to the starting line up as Mourinho looks to shuffle his pack.
Form Guide
Manchester City : D-L-W-W-W
Chelsea: D-W-W-D-W
Possible Line Ups:
Manchester City (4-2-2-2): Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov, Toure, Rodwell, Navas, Silva, Negredo, Dzeko
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Azpilicueta, Mikel, Matic, Ramires, Willian, Hazard, Torres Please drop your comments below...
In an intriguing twist, one can wonder if getting knocked out of the cup might in fact boost the losing club's hopes of winning the league title as it reduces the number of fixtures, however for squads which have as much as depth as Chelsea's and Manchester City's, nothing less than a mentality of going all out for the win will do.
In the previous encounter between the two sides, Chelsea broke Manchester City's winning sequence in the league at home by emerging 1-0 victors from a hard fought contest.
Manchester City
Talks of a quadruple were rife a couple of weeks ago when everything seemed to be going smooth for Manchester City. Barcelona were being warned of how good this City side were and there was even talks of the Sky Blues starting that tie as favourites. However, all changed when Jose Mourinho came to town and that coupled with injuries to key players saw Chelsea upset the City charge. This was followed by a toothless draw at Norwich and further frustration followed when the game against Sunderland was cancelled. Thus, here City are, very much back in touch with reality and they will have to gear up for a feisty contest. People may have run out of superlatives to describe City's form at the Etihad Stadium recently but it must be remembered that Watford were leading by two goals in the fourth round of the cup. City need to guard against that type of complacency again.
With injuries to Fernandinho and Garcia, it remains intriguing to see whether Pellegrini will persist with Demichelis in midfield. The Argentine was bossed by Matic and Luiz two weeks ago and Jack Rodwell, who has shined against Chelsea in the past for Everton, should surely be considered a better bet. Out wide, Nasri's injury means Navas is likely to continue while their talismanic striker Aguero being injured means City will have to rely on Dzeko and Negredo again. Negredo, along with Yaya Toure, was played against Norwich despite being only half fit and this might indicate a reluctance from Pellegrini's part to trust his squad players. Against Chelsea, the pair will need to be all guns blazing if City are to continue challenging on all four fronts. The toss between Kolarov and Clichy for the left back slot will be an interesting one.
Chelsea
Despite Jose Mourinho's insistence that Chelsea is a work in progress, the Blues surely have to win at least a trophy this season. If the league title is not reached, Mourinho will at least be expected to deliver the FA Cup to the Blues and a season without a trophy would leave fans across the country questioning what the fuss was about Mourinho's return. Away from home, it has been hit and miss for Chelsea as they have succumbed to avoidable defeats, the most notable of which was the elimination from the other domestic cup in the Stadium of Light. In their most recent Premier League match, Chelsea conceded a needless late equaliser which resulted in high frustration from several players, most notably Branislav Ivanovic who ended the night in heated discussions with Petr Cech. Doubts remain about Mourinho's side to cut it away from home.
Chelsea have a mini defensive crisis as Gary Cahill and John Terry are facing a race against time to be fit for this game. If neither can recover, that would mean Ivanovic would move to centre half, Azpilicueta would switch sides and Ashley Cole would return at left back. However, reports emerging on Thursday morning suggest that Terry is likely to be fit for the crucial game. David Luiz will most likely be on centre half duties and thus Mikel might take up the shielding role in midfield alongside Matic. Ramires is likely to be deployed further up the field as he is always in the big games. Oscar is likely to be benched in favour of Willian given the latter's superb form this season. Fernando Torres might make a comeback to the starting line up as Mourinho looks to shuffle his pack.
Form Guide
Manchester City : D-L-W-W-W
Chelsea: D-W-W-D-W
Possible Line Ups:
Manchester City (4-2-2-2): Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov, Toure, Rodwell, Navas, Silva, Negredo, Dzeko
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Azpilicueta, Mikel, Matic, Ramires, Willian, Hazard, Torres Please drop your comments below...
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