Manchester City vs. Chelsea: How Should the Citizens Line Up?

In the 2015/16 Premier League season's first heavyweight clash, reigning holders Chelsea travel to the home of once-removed champions Manchester City.

Of England's four consensus challengers this year (Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United), Manuel Pellegrini's men were unquestionably the best side after the season's opening week—both in terms of on-field continuity and production.

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Dominating Tony Pulis' West Bromwich Albion 3-0, City top the Premier League's infantile table and—with a second victory—could go five points above the defending champs after Sunday's fixture.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has not enjoyed the best 2015 summer.

Chelsea have not won a game inside 90 minutes (including pre-season), have sold Petr Cech to Arsenal, found it difficult to sign new defenders and are now involved in a pseudo-soap opera with Jon Fearn and Eva Carneiro. With all the surrounding commotion, the Blues will be desperate for three points at the Etihad.

Pellegrini could counteract the Londoners' desperation with three formational options.

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First is the 4-4-2.

As shown vs. Barcelona in the 2014/15 Champions League, the Chilean is not shy about starting two strikers in big matches. Especially considering Mourinho's defensive penchant, adding another centre-forward might be a masterstroke.

The danger with 4-4-2, however, is losing numbers in midfield to stymie Cesc Fabregas, Oscar and the rest of Chelsea's central attacking midfielders.

Were the Citizens to control the game, that would not be a major concern, but should the Blues come to Manchester with positive intent, 4-4-2 could turn disastrous.

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Second is the 4-3-3, which makes its wingers focal points.

Utilising the pace of Raheem Sterling and Jesus Navas—who proved willing runners vs. West Brom—against the less-than-rapid Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta, City would enjoy clear advantages on the flanks.

If Jefferson Montero can seriously bother Ivanovic, the £49 million Sterling should be able to do something similar.

The downside here being: Does Pellegrini want to make both Yaya Toure and David Silva defensively culpable in central midfield with their respective wingers bombed forward? One could confidently hypothesise "no."

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He who controls the midfield controls the game; City's 4-3-3 makes the task more difficult than normal vs. Chelsea's preferred 4-2-3-1.

As the Blues' manager often sets his teams to "play for the point" in big matches, Pellegrini's best option is matching Mourinho's formation and expecting the Portuguese to enter his customary defensive shell.

Mirroring the 4-2-3-1 makes Fabregas' deep-lying playmaker role challenging and ensures Toure and Nemanja Matic are in close proximity for 90 minutes.

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Man City might find a high-octane, swift-moving offensive display from the first minute unsettles an increasingly unstable Blues' foundation.

Should the visitors take the upper hand, City could change their personnel to create different looks at the snap of a finger.

Since Mourinho's re-arrival to English football in 2013, Manchester City have yet to beat the west Londoners in the Premier League (0W-2D-2L).

With little to no pressure in the season's second game, there has never been a better opportunity for Pellegrini to draw first blood.

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