We face Chelsea in our first home game of 2026, kicking off at 17:30 (UK) on Sunday 4 January.
It’s a quick turnaround after our victory at Sunderland on Thursday night, but City go into the weekend second in the Premier League and just two behind leaders Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have undergone a major change earlier this week.
They dramatically parted company with boss Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day, meaning the visiting side we’ll face on Sunday could well spring a surprise.
With the help of Opta data, we find out more about who we’ll face…
Recent form
Chelsea are fifth in the Premier League with 30 points from their 19 matches so far.
They’ve reached that tally with eight wins, six draws and five defeats.
However, they’ve struggled a little more in recent weeks – winning just one of their last seven league games.
Four of their wins have come away from home, beating West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Spurs and Burnley on the road.
Preferred formation
Chelsea almost exclusively play 4-2-3-1, although that could of course come into question given the departure of manager Enzo Maresca this week.
Robert Sanchez is the undisputed first choice goalkeeper, but there’s plenty of rotation ahead of him.
Marc Cucurella plays at left-back, with Malo Gusto usually on the right of defence. Between them, Trevoh Chalobah has played the most while Wesley Fofana, former City man Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile are often called upon.
Reece James has moved into midfield a lot recently, with Enzo Fernandez just as regular there. Moises Caicedo will be missing from midfield after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season on Tuesday.
Ahead of them, it could be any combination of Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens, Estevao, Alejandro Garnacho, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap across the four attacking roles.
Head-to-head record
We are unbeaten in our last eight Premier League games against Chelsea, winning six and drawing two.
We’ve also only failed to score in one of our last 22 Premier League games against Chelsea, losing 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in December 2018.
In total, we’ve played each other 56 times in the Premier League era. City have won 20 of those, with Chelsea coming out on top 27 times.
It’s more even at home, with City winning 12 and losing 13 of the 28 games to be played at Maine Road or the Etihad Stadium.
How they attack
Chelsea’s 32 goals so far is the fifth most in the division. With an xG of 33, they’re pretty consistent in terms of taking chances you’d expect of them in front of goal.
They’ve created 51 Opta-defined ‘big chances’ and taken 51% of them, which is the best proportion in the division.
Meanwhile, they are highly dangerous from headed goals, netting eight so far – the second most in the league.
With an average of 522 passes per match, they are the third most pass-focused side in the league while their possession average of 59.6% is the second highest across all 20 sides.
Joao Pedro is their top scorer, netting six times, while Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez have five each.
Reece James is the leading assist maker with four, but Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto are just behind on that tally with three each.
How they defend
Chelsea’s tally of 21 goals conceded sees them placed sixth in terms of Premier League defences.
That’s come from an xG of 27.4, so they are allowing significant chances on their goal that they are not necessarily conceding from.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has played all 19 games so far and sits seventh in the top-flight for save percentage, stopping 70.3% of all shots on target.
With five goals conceded in the opening 15 minutes, they are one of the league’s slowest starters and no team has registered more than their four red cards so far.
City v Brighton tickets on general sale
We welcome an entertaining Brighton side to the Etihad at 19:30 (UK) on Wednesday 7 January.
And with tickets now on general sale, you could be there to see it!
Fans can now claim three tickets each, with adults from £30 and concessions as low as £15.
Or make it a night to remember with hospitality packages starting from just £180 per person and a wide range of experiences available to suit your budget.
