Manchester City have the opportunity to jump back to the top of the table when they host Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening. The Citizens have bagged successive triumphs since the shock defeat at Tyneside last month and they have the opportunity to continue the run against Maurizio Sarri’s side, who have had defensive concerns of their own of late.
Formation: 4-3-3
Predicted Lineup:
Ederson has been ever-present between the sticks for the Citizens since the season began and he should retain his role for the Blues visit. The Brazilian is currently joint second in the race for the Golden Glove with 11 clean sheets.
In the defence, Pep Guardiola may not tinker with the combination from the previous game and this should witness John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi at the heart of the defence with Kyle Walker and Aymeric Laporte featuring on either side of them.
The midfield should witness Fernandinho take up the holding role once more. Alongside him, the experienced David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne should feature and the latter will want to produce his best against his former employers after only making a cameo appearance during the midweek triumph over the Toffees.
In the frontline, Bernardo Silva remains a strong candidate to feature on the right wing with the consistent showing through the season and he could be accompanied by Leroy Sane on the opposite flank. The German had limited impact within the box against the Toffees but he will be keen to make amends versus a Blues backline, which has conceded six times in the past two away trips.
Upfront, Sergio Aguero should once more start ahead of Gabriel Jesus despite not having the best of games in midweek where he drew a blank. The Argentine has been in a purple patch of late with six goals from the previous five matches across all competitions and this includes a hat-trick against Arsenal during the last league game at Etihad Stadium.
Predicted Manchester City XI: Ederson, Kyle Walker, Nicolas Otamendi, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho, Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero
