The Big Match: Man City v Chelsea stats, team news, prediction & TV channel

Manchester City v Chelsea

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, 5.30pm Saturday

Match odds

19-20 Manchester City, 10-3 Chelsea, 5-2 draw

Form

Friday marks Thomas Tuchel’s 101st day in charge of Chelsea, during which time he has transformed the club's fortunes. In the German's three-and-a-bit month reign, the Blues have lost two of 24 games and have conceded a solitary Karim Benzema goal in their last six. They beat Real Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday to reach the Champions League final.

Since losing 1-0 to Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals, City are unbeaten in five games, including beating PSG home and away to reach the Champions League final.

Team news

Manchester City
John Stones completes a three-game ban.

Chelsea
Mateo Kovacic (hamstring) is a doubt but Antonio Rudiger (facial injury) returned against Madrid.

The tactical battle

We have a recent guide courtesy of last month's FA Cup semi-final in which Tuchel got it right and Pep Guardiola got it horribly wrong.

The mistakes Guardiola made had nothing to do with team selection and everything to do with trying to play the press with two holding midfielders, which left Kevin De Bruyne isolated and easy to bypass when Chelsea had possession.

Equally, City tried to push their fullbacks as high as they could but Tuchel's wing-backs counteracted those advances and made Guardiola wary. That's fairly simplistic – there was far more to chew over – but the upshot is that City were neither one thing nor the other, which is rare for them, and Chelsea had won the right to dominate.

Presumably – and Guardiola is one of modern football's most-decorated coaches for a reason – City will try to stretch the game more to pressurise Chelsea's wing-backs which, of course, runs the risk of being exposed by the Londoners on the counter, which was his fear at Wembley.

Verdict

Part two of a trilogy that began at Wembley and ends in Istanbul, and is supposed to be the moment when City celebrate regaining the Premier League title.

Or at least that's what the script says.

The reality, despite Chelsea's fourth position in the table, is that these teams currently look by some distance the best sides in England and without a great deal to choose between them.

Chelsea have been coached to perfection under Tuchel who will have a plan for this game and City haven't been perfect in recent weeks, especially in the Premier League.

The extra 24 hours of preparation time helps the hosts but Chelsea are tough. Opposing City looks worthwhile in a game which may well be tight.

Manchester City 1 Chelsea 1

Champions League final

Manchester City are 4-9 favourites to win the Champions League final with Chelsea 15-8 shots.

It will be the second all-English Champions League final in three years after Liverpool saw off Tottenham in Madrid in 2019. City are 19-20 to win their first Champions League silverware in 90 minutes with Chelsea a best-priced 16-5. The draw is 11-4.

Key stats

• City have conceded in each of their last five home Premier League games, shipping exactly two in each of the last three
• Since Tuchel's arrival, he has won games against Guardiola, Klopp, Ancelotti, Mourinho, Simeone (twice) and Zidane, conceding just one goal
• City boast more shots (16) and concede less (6.9) per game than any other side in the top division
• Chelsea have kept 18 clean sheets in 24 matches under Thomas Tuchel in all competitions (75%), compared with 26 in 84 games under his predecessor Frank Lampard (31%)

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