Manchester City vs. Chelsea: Blues Will Hurt Manchester City's Title Charge

Manchester City is seeking to secure the Premier League title, but achieving the feat won’t be easy as the club faces Chelsea next Wednesday.

The Blues are on a roll as they advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, and a win against the Citizens could put them fourth on the table.

Chelsea is the only English club remaining in the Champions, where it is set to meet Benfica, first in Portugal then back in Stamford Bridge. The team, which is currently under Roberto Di Matteo’s care, has a chance to take the trophy home for the first time in its history.

It won’t be an easy task, but after André Villas-Boas was sacked earlier this month, the Blues have played better, with more organization and confidence.

Leaving Villas-Boas out seemed to bring the club back to life as Di Matteo helped it reach the FA Cup semifinals, after beating Birmingham 2-0 and Leicester 5-2.

But perhaps the most impressive win for Chelsea was against Napoli.

Villas-Boas’ last Champions League match, against the Partenopei, was a disaster. The Blues lost 3-1 while visiting Stadio San Paolo, their fifth winless match and a defeat that put pressure on them, as it seemed they were practically out of the Champions.

A week later Villas-Boas dug his own grave as he lost in his visit to West Bromwich, which meant the end of his term as head coach and the opportunity for Di Matteo to give the team its pride back.

The Swiss-Italian boss helped Chelsea defeat Napoli in overtime, the accolade came after Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic scored for the Blues.

The aggregate score favored the English team by one goal: 5-4.

With a lot of confidence and momentum on their side, they have a chance to catch up in the Premier League and the very first step to make it happen is by defeating Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

The Blues have a tough task ahead of themselves, as the Citizens haven’t lost a match at home this season and will also try to keep their undefeated streak in front of Chelsea, while playing home, since April 2008.

Manchester City needs to win to stay close to Manchester United. The Reds lead the Premier League with 70 points, four clear from Roberto Mancini’s boys.

For Chelsea, a victory will put the club inside the top-four of the league and will broaden Di Matteo’s successful term to five victories in five games.

There’s another factor in the City-Chelsea equation: Fernando Torres.

El Niño, who went through a 25-match goal drought–1,566 minutes—scored twice on Sunday when the Blues defeated Leicester City 5-2. 

Torres’s first came on the 67 minute after Raul Meireles sent him a cross from the left sideline. The Spanish striker kicked the ball with the right leg to send it to the net.

Just 18 minutes later, El Niño scored again, this time with a header after a corner kick; it was just his seventh goal since Chelsea bought him from Liverpool.

After the game he acknowledged, “I needed those goals, I’d been working so hard. I found the net so it’s a good day for me, I feel happy.”

The manager trusted him despite his drought, because “he is a great team player and when you work hard for the team you are rewarded. Hopefully his confidence is going to be very, very high now,” he said after the match.

Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini may bring Carlos Tévez back for Chelsea’s match, but the Argentinean striker hasn’t played since September, which puts his performance and fitness under the microscope.

Manchester City has the strongest squad ever, but the results haven’t been what fans expected.

Since 2008, Sheikh Masour has spent over $950 million on players, and for this current season Mancini went on a $286 million shopping spree.

The players and management have a lot to prove next Wednesday. It won’t be an easy test, especially with so much pressure on them.

As the season comes to an end, Chelsea seems stronger and more confident than City, both on and off the pitch.

Mancini’s squad needs to keep the undefeated run on Etihad Stadium or else this could be the breaking point in a season where the Citizens seemed to be close to making history.