According to Standard, Chelsea and Manchester City kick off the new Premier League season with a highly anticipated match on Sunday. The two teams already faced off earlier this summer during their pre-season tours in the USA, where Erling Haaland's hat-trick led the reigning champions to a 4-2 victory in Columbus, Ohio.
For Enzo Maresca, this match marks his first competitive game in charge of Chelsea since taking over from Mauricio Pochettino in June. Chelsea's pre-season was challenging, with the team securing only one win out of six friendlies. They suffered heavy defeats to Manchester City and Celtic, lost to Real Madrid, and couldn't secure victories against lower-tier Wrexham and Inter Milan.
Manchester City also had mixed results in pre-season, losing to Celtic and AC Milan and drawing with Barcelona. However, their confidence is high after narrowly defeating Manchester United on penalties to win the Community Shield at Wembley last weekend. Pep Guardiola’s team enters the season as strong title favorites, having won four consecutive league championships and six of the last seven.
Chelsea, on the other hand, is embarking on yet another new chapter amidst a busy transfer window as they aim to return to contention, having finished sixth last season despite a late surge under Pochettino that wasn't enough.
Kick-off Time, Date and Venue
Chelsea vs. Man City is set for a 4:30 PM BST kick-off on Sunday, August 18, 2024, at Stamford Bridge in west London.
Chelsea vs. Man City Team News
Chelsea will be without captain Reece James, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury and is also suspended following a red card against Brighton at the end of last season. Nicolas Jackson made his return from an ankle injury in the 1-1 draw with Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge last weekend, while Axel Disasi was also on the bench after recovering from hernia surgery. Omari Kellyman and Djordje Petrovic have been dealing with minor injuries.
New signings Pedro Neto, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tosin Adarabioyo, Filip Jorgensen, and Marc Guiu could be in line for their competitive debuts, while Conor Gallagher is awaiting a move to Atletico Madrid.
For Manchester City, Jack Grealish is a doubt after picking up an injury in training and missing the Community Shield. Brazilian winger Savinho might make his Premier League debut after joining from sister club Troyes. Key players Rodri, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden, and John Stones have returned to training following extended breaks after their runs to the final of Euro 2024.
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