Those are the main features of today’s City-related media sweep and will kick-off with Chelsea’s stats at the Etihad over the last decade.
Stats
Live Soccer: Chelsea have struggled away to City
It reads: “These two clubs have locked horns on 25 occasions in the 2010s, with the first being Chelsea’s 4-2 home defeat against Man City in February 2010. In fact, since the current decade began, Abramovic’s side have won only eight times compared to the reigning Premier League champions’ 14 triumphs, with three games ending in stalemates.
“Bear in mind, those eight wins are their overall victories. At the Etihad Stadium, the club from the English capital have enjoyed only two wins, the most recent coming back in 2016/17 season when Chelsea last won the league.
“To put this into perspective, the Blues have made 10 trips to the noisier side of Manchester and aside from their two wins, they have lost seven times and drawn once. This means they boast a mere 20% win percentage and a 70% loss percentage.
“Furthermore, Man City have scored against the Stamford Bridge side 19 times in those 10 games, with their most recent Etihad Stadium encounter ending in a 6-0 thrashing of Chelsea. The English champions kept six clean sheets while conceding only seven times against the Blues.”
Injury news
Football London: Latest ahead of Chelsea’s weekend trip
The report reads: “Chelsea are back in action this weekend with a trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Premier League champions Manchester City.
“Fourth plays third in the table on Saturday evening as the battle to chase down Liverpool at the top of the league intensifies.
“A win for Frank Lampard’s side could send them second in the table should Leicester fail to beat Brighton in the 3pm kick-off, while Liverpool will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the table with a trip to Crystal Palace.
“Having as many players available as possible could be key to getting a positive result, but the Blues do have some injury concerns ahead of the trip, with as many as five players potentially unavailable.”
Opinion
The 42: De Bruyne not impressed with new format
“The format for Uefa’s continent-wide Euro 2020 has been labelled “a scandal” by Belgium star Kevin De Bruyne as European football’s governing body faces a headache to ensure all host nations who qualify get to play at home.
“Wales became the 20th nation to secure their spot when they beat Hungary 2-0 in Cardiff on Tuesday, with the remaining four places going to the winners of play-offs to be held next March. Mick McCarthy’s Ireland are among the sides vying for qualification through the back-door.
“However, with Uefa having to ensure that host nations play group games on home turf while also keeping certain teams apart for geopolitical reasons, much of the suspense has already been removed from the draw.
“For example, Ukraine and Russia cannot face one another due to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. That means Belgium already know they will face Russia and Denmark – both of whom will host games – in Group B, leaving little suspense come the draw for the finals.
‘It is a scandal, honestly,’ Manchester City star De Bruyne told Belgian television after his side’s 6-1 win over Cyprus on Tuesday.
‘Football is not really football anymore, it’s becoming a business.
‘As a player you have to get used to it, but for me they are sort of falsifying the competition. It takes all the pleasure away from the draw.’
Fantasy League
Premier League: Dropping Aguero would be a mistake
“The Scout is tipping five players to produce big points in Gameweek 13 of Fantasy Premier League.
“Managers who have sold Aguero in FPL could come to regret that decision in Gameweek 13.
“Aguero is the second-most transferred-out forward ahead of his home match with Chelsea, being moved out of 118,000+ squads.
“It is a sustained exodus after he suffered 545,000 sales across Gameweeks 10-12.
“Yet Aguero has been a reliable source of returns when playing at the Etihad Stadium.
“He has five goals and two assists over his six appearances, averaging 7.8 points per start at home this season.
“The underlying numbers further enhance Aguero‘s potential ahead of Saturday’s encounter.
“At home, his total of 22 shots inside the box is more than any other player in FPL.
“And his 24 shots are second only to the 25 of Mohamed Salah (£12.3m).”
