Chelsea vs. Manchester City: Stakes High for Both Sides | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, as Liam Rosenior has the opportunity to cut his teeth against the best in the business.

Guardiola’s men have hit their stride in recent weeks, securing two big cup wins in their last two outings: first defeating Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, before thrashing Liverpool 4-0 last weekend. Meanwhile, Rosenior has endured a tumultuous time since taking the reins at Chelsea in January.

Things have not been smooth sailing for the 41-year-old since taking charge at Stamford Bridge, but he will have the chance to claim a significant scalp on Sunday. Rosenior has secured some important away victories, notably against Napoli and Aston Villa, but is still yet to prove that he can mix it with the best of the best. The Englishman oversaw three defeats to Arsenal, before his side were demolished 8-2 on aggregate by PSG. A triumph over Guardiola’s City would certainly go a long way to boosting Rosenior’s reputation.

Chelsea are a side on the brink of turmoil, a state that they have rarely escaped in recent years. Four successive defeats prior to the international break saw the Blues dumped out of the Champions League and slip out of the Premier League’s top five. A convincing victory over League One strugglers Port Vale last weekend was necessary but has done little to ease the pressures on Rosenior’s side.

Qualification for Europe’s elite competition is essential for Chelsea, who have already taken backwards steps from last season’s reasonably successful campaign. Missing it out on Champions League football brings a whole host of disadvantages, chiefly financial losses, and they will have to fight for every remaining available point.

Enzo in the stands

Rosenior’s job has been made even more difficult by comments from some of his players. Defender Marc Cucurella put Chelsea’s directors on blast, disagreeing with the decision to sack Enzo Maresca, as well as criticising the Blues’ transfer policies. However, it was the words of another Chelsea star that crossed a line in the club’s eyes.

Enzo Fernandez will watch from the stands on Sunday, after receiving a two-match suspension by his own club. Over the international break, the Argentine cast doubts on his own future, following transfer links with Real Madrid. The midfielder spoke of how much he would love to live in the Spanish capital, in what was not the first time that he has flirted with the move.

Chelsea and Rosenior decided to take action, banishing the near $140M man to the stands, where he will remain this weekend. He is sure to be a big miss for the Blues too. In the last meeting between these two sides, it was Fernandez who scored a last minute equaliser to salvage an unlikely point for Chelsea in their first match following the dismissal of Maresca.

Rodri avoids Enzo’s fate

City for their part have not been devoid of similar speculation. Rodri made comments akin to those of Fernandez whilst on international duty with Spain. However, the Ballon D’Or-winning midfielder has not faced any punishment for his remarks.

Guardiola opted for a much more laissez-faire approach in his dealing of the situation. “No, no, what Chelsea has done is Chelsea,” Guardiola responded on whether City would take similar action. “So there is not one player I would think that would turn down the chance to play for Real Madrid. And I understand completely, he was born in Spain, so.”

Departing captain

Rodri is not the only star who has been linked with a move away from the Etihad. City captain Bernardo Silva is expected to depart when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Guardiola’s number two, Pep Lijnders, seemingly confirmed this last week, wishing the Portuguese international ‘a good farewell’. Despite this, Guardiola himself has claimed to have no knowledge of Silva’s apparent decision to leave.

Whether Silva has made his final choice or not, all signs point to his exit this summer. As such, City will want to give him a fitting send off after nine years of service – none of which could be more fitting than lifting the Premier League trophy.

Title race continues – just

Following disappointing draws against Nottingham Forest and West Ham, City’s hopes of regaining the Premier League title are now hanging by a thread. Guardiola’s side trail Arsenal by nine points, albeit with a game in hand and the Gunners set to visit the Etihad next week. It means that City’s hopes are just about surviving with eight matches remaining.

However, they simply cannot afford to drop anymore points. Under no illusions, their Catalan boss insisted: “Playing before or later, with few games now remaining in the Premier League, we have to win every single game.”

A sneak peak at a possible Cup Final?

After advancing in last week’s quarterfinals, both sides are heavy favourites in their respective FA Cup semi-finals and are anticipated to set up a cup final showdown. Although there is of course no guarantee of this, with Chelsea failing to beat Leeds United in both of their league encounters this season and City’s opponents Southampton having already secured an unlikely victory against Arsenal.

Despite this, the expectation is that Chelsea and City will clash at Wembley with silverware on the line. Should that eventuality come to fruition, then Sunday’s meeting could provide valuable insights.

That was certainly the case last season. Exactly a year ago, City defeated Crystal Palace 5-2 at the Etihad. “I said to Pep afterwards,” Palace boss Oliver Glasner revealed in his post-match press conference that day. “If we meet again, you can’t play in this system, because we will solve it.”

The Austrian coach went on to have the last laugh and was proven absolutely right, as the Eagles overcame City at Wembley and lifted the FA Cup. History threatens to repeat itself and it provides an added layer of intrigue to an already compelling clash at Stamford Bridge.