Manchester City vs. Chelsea: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
The furor surrounding Jose Mourinho and his medical staff has threatened to overshadow this weekend's clash between Manchester City and Chelsea.
All week we've heard of how Jon Fearn and Eva Carneiro will not feature on the Chelsea bench at the Etihad Stadium after being reprimanded by Mourinho at the end of the 2-2 draw with Swansea City last weekend.
In case you weren't aware, Mourinho was frustrated with the pair after they, in his view, were too keen to treat Eden Hazard near the end of the game after he went down seemingly injured having clashed with Ashley Williams.
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Receiving treatment meant the Belgian had to exit the pitch temporarily, which left Chelsea with nine men after Thibaut Courtois had been earlier sent off.
Mourinho was concerned this left his team exposed to a counter-attack, and the manager's reaction has been the main talking point ever since.
Indeed, Mourinho endured an extraordinary press conference on Friday that seemed solely focused on the incident and his ongoing relationship with the medical team at Stamford Bridge.
Eventually, we did get around to hearing about some football, when Mourinho had some interesting things to say about his team and their current condition.
After a pre-season without a win, it's been clear the reigning Premier League champions haven't looked their best. Chelsea do not appear to be match fit or sharp, which has led to concerns they may not start the season well enough to give them a platform to defend their title.
It's a very real concern and one that Mourinho addressed.
"This season, we tried to go in another direction [for pre-season]," he explained. "We had a slower start, a short pre-season. Clearly, we know what we are doing; clearly some bodies didn't react as well as we expected.
"This week was a fantastic week for us as it was another week of pre-season. There were no matches, just training Monday to Sunday. The next week will be the same, the next week will the same and the next week will be the same.
"We also know that the first four fixtures of the season are four matches with one week before. So in the end of this fourth match we are going to be in a good situation.
"[...] Yes, we are not in the top of our game. The normal tendency is week after week to improve.
"The squad in this moment is the same as last season. The squad is very tired [as they started pre-season late]. The squad was playing so well last season that we decided not to change the team in any one moment and go with the same players that you all know what is the best team.
"Obviously the squad is not closed. Obviously we are going to have to have a couple of new players and then the situation goes back to normality."
It's an interesting position the champions find themselves, but regardless of condition and fitness, Chelsea can't afford a defeat against City on Sunday.
That will leave them five points behind after just two matches, which is far from ideal despite it being so early into 2015/16.
Match details
Date: Sunday, August 16
Time: 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK only); NBCSN (U.S. only)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK only); NBCSN Live Extra (U.S. only)
Last 5 games
Manchester City won their opening Premier League fixture on Monday night, defeating West Bromwich Albion 3-0. Meanwhile, Chelsea drew 2-2 at home to Swansea City, which means they are without a win since May after not claiming a victory in pre-season.
| July 21 | Man City 2-2 Roma |
| July 24 | Man City 1-4 Real Madrid |
| July 27 | Vietnam 1-8 Man City |
| August 1 | Stuttgart 4-2 Man City |
| August 10 | West Brom 0-3 Man City |
| July 25 | Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Chelsea |
| July 29 | Chelsea 2-2 Barcelona |
| August 2 | Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea |
| August 5 | Chelsea 0-1 Fiorentina |
| August 8 | Chelsea 2-2 Swansea |
Predicted lineups
Manuel Pellegrini is expected to go with the line-up that proved so dominant against West Brom on Monday, but Jose Mourinho could be forced into a couple of changes.
Thibaut Courtois is suspended, while Oscar is a doubt. Should the Brazilian miss out, it could mean Cesc Fabregas playing further forward, with Kurt Zouma added in the pivot to shore things up alongside Nemanja Matic.
Chelsea will want to contain City and win that midfield battle. Mourinho has opted for Zouma to help do this against opponents in the past, so featuring the Frenchman on Sunday isn't totally out of the question.
Players to watch
David Silva
The Spaniard is the man who makes this City team tick. If he's on song, it's going to be a long and difficult afternoon for the Chelsea defenders.
He plays in the No. 10 position, but Silva likes to roam. He picks up strong attacking positions, plays between the lines and when in possession, drives at players.
His vision is exceptional, and with Chelsea expected to sit deep in an attempt to contain City's threat, Silva is going to be key in unlocking that stubborn rearguard.
Branislav Ivanovic
Jefferson Montero gave Branislav Ivanovic the runaround at Stamford Bridge last week, so don't be surprised to see Raheem Sterling target the Serbian early on.
Indeed, it should be a tactic from City to expose the Chelsea right-back to see how he copes.
If Ivanovic endures another difficult match, the right side is going to be a significant weakness in the Chelsea defence, leaving them open to attacking threats.
That said, City know what a danger Ivanovic can be at the other end of the pitch after he scored the only goal in Chelsea's 1-0 win at the Etihad Stadium in February 2014. Can he do the same again?
Key battle
Yaya Toure vs. Nemanja Matic
That February 2014 victory for Chelsea was about Nemanja Matic's display as it was Ivanovic's goal.
That night, Matic marshaled Yaya Toure in midfield, being the significant man in what was a tactical masterclass from Jose Mourinho.
If Chelsea are to get anything from this game, so much rides on how Matic performs again. He'll need to be at his best to contain Toure, too, who was in devastating form against West Brom.
This was a breathtaking battle 18 months ago and it should be once again. Whoever wins it will most likely be on the winning team.
Prediction
Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea
Odds
Home win: 13/10
Away win: 2/1
Draw: 9/4
First goalscorer: Yaya Toure 9/1
*Home/Away win and draw odds via Odds Shark, goalscoring odds via OddsChecker
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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