Match-day 14 starts off with a blockbuster clash between two teams who are expected to be the front-runners in the title challenge this year. Manchester City and Chelsea are jostling it out at the top of the table separated by just a point and probably the hair on Antonio Conte’s scalp. While the two relatively new powerhouses of the Premier league have similar statistics, their fortunes this far have inversely mirrored each other. While Chelsea had a rocky start, failing to gel and only Diego Costa’s never-give-up attitude saw them through matches, without which the Blues might have struggled.
Manchester City, on the other hand, surprised Pep Guardiola and the rest by quickly settling into the Catalan’s vision. His demanding and intricate instructions were dutifully carried out by his players and we saw a 10-match winning streak across all competition from the Sky Blues. But the same players who had been adjudged to have run their race in the League could not have possibly carried on in this system without a dip and it came. The last month and a half have seen City drop winnable points and while the victory over Barcelona does stand out amongst the mess, they need to start churning out the wins again.
With the match almost upon us let us take a look at how the possible line-up would look with both the teams combined.
PREDICTED MANCHESTER CITY & CHELSEA COMBINED LINE-UP (4-4-2)
DEFENCE
Thibaut Courtois makes the cut with Bravo having failed to settle till now. The Belgian has been solid when called upon and has improved with time. Cesar Azpilicueta has been one of the most consistent performers in the League over a couple of seasons and it is no surprise to see him at right-back.
John Stones and a new error-free David Luiz make up the centre-back pairing while Marcos Alonso’s solidity and his swift adjustment to his second spell in the league gets him a left-back spot.
MIDFIELD
Fernandinho has been excellent in midfield and any player who has mirrored him in efficiency and tenacity is Kanté. And the pair finds themselves in the central midfield. While both are naturally suited to do the dirty work, Fernandinho can exert himself higher up the pitch as well.
With the vast number of attackers at the disposal of both these teams, we have to omit a few obvious options. Kevin De Bruyne tips Raheem Sterling for a spot on the right-wing while Eden Hazard takes up the left-wing spot.
ATTACK
By far the top 2 strikers in the league, there is almost nothing to separate the two. The sacrifice of the likes of Sterling and Silva is more than made up for by Aguero and Diego Costa up top. Two former Atletico Madrid strikers are ruling the Premier League.
