Chelsea vs. Manchester City: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Branislav Ivanovic says Chelsea’s FA Cup clash with Manchester City on Sunday will feel like a final.
The sides meet at Stamford Bridge in the fifth round, and despite Chelsea’s struggles in the Premier League this term, it’s a tie that’s got plenty of fans excited as two of England’s biggest clubs come together.
“It’s a massive game for us, but I think at the moment every game is massive for us,” Ivanovic explained to Bleacher Report.
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“It’s similar to a final, and we have to forget about what happened in Paris [when Chelsea lost to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday]. We have to focus on Man City as it’s a game we need to win.”
City have struggled of late themselves, losing back-to-back games in the league, which has meant their title credentials have taken a big hit.
Their latest loss came at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Feb. 14. Rather than seeing it as a good time to face Manuel Pellegrini’s side, Ivanovic said he’s expecting the City players to come out all guns blazing to bounce back from their recent disappointments.
“I’m not sure any time is good to play City,” he said. “When the big teams lose a couple of games, you are always waiting for a reaction. It’s difficult to find a good opportunity to play them.
“For sure they will be motivated. They have the Champions League coming up too [against Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday], so it will be an interesting game, and I hope we make the most of our home advantage.”
The FA Cup is one Chelsea’s best opportunities for silverware this term. They may be the reigning Premier League champions, but the Blues have lingered in the bottom half of the table all season. They’re not going to retain the title they won last year, leaving them with the FA Cup and Champions League to play for.
Ivanovic said Chelsea aren’t thinking about silverware—they’re just trying to concentrate on rebuilding their season after a poor first half of the year.
“I think the achievement of winning of the FA Cup again is so far in the future [to think about],” Ivanovic continued. “At the moment, we have to go step by step, game by game.
“City is a massive game, and if we have a bad day, we’ll be out of the FA Cup. We have to give everything today, and then tomorrow we can think about what comes next.”
Match Details
Date: Sunday, February 21
Time: 4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
TV Info: BBC1 (UK only)/Fox Sports 2 (U.S. only)
Live Stream: BBC iPlayer/Fox2Go (U.S. only)
Last 5 Games
| Jan. 31 | MK Dons 1-5 Chelsea |
| Feb. 3 | Watford 0-0 Chelsea |
| Feb. 7 | Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United |
| Feb. 13 | Chelsea 5-1 Newcastle United |
| Feb. 16 | Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Chelsea |
| Jan. 27 | Manchester City 3-1 Everton |
| Jan. 30 | Aston Villa 0-4 Manchester City |
| Feb. 2 | Sunderland 0-2 Manchester City |
| Feb. 6 | Manchester City 1-3 Leicester City |
| Feb. 14 | Manchester City 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur |
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea will be without John Terry on Sunday for the second game running as the captain continues to fight for fitness after picking up an injury against Newcastle Untied in the Blues' last league game.
It means Guus Hiddink must persevere with his new central-defensive partnership of Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic.
“Of course it’s a disappointment [that Terry won’t play] because he’s the leader of the team,” Hiddink said on Friday.
“On the other hand, I’m not going to complain or moan because the guys who are taking his place have my full confidence. [Against Paris Saint-Germain] they produced a decent performance."
Manuel Pellegrini could field a weakened team as he plans ahead for Wednesday's trip to face Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League.
“I said a couple of weeks ago if you want to protect the English team in the Champions League, the game [should be played on] Saturday—but for different reasons we couldn’t play that day,” said the City boss, per the Press Association (via the Guardian).
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic, Baba Rahman; Jon Obi Mikel, Cesc Fabregas; Oscar, Willian, Pedro; Diego Costa.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Willy Caballero; Pablo Zabaleta, Nicolas Otamendi, Martin Demichelis, Angelino; Aleix Garcia, Fernando; Bersant Celina, Manu Garcia, Aleksandar Kolarov; Kelechi Iheanacho.
Key Players
Willian
By far Chelsea’s player of the season, Willian has been the man setting the tone in recent weeks.
From assisting Diego Costa in the recent 5-1 demolition of Newcastle United to an encouraging display against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, the Brazilian is showing he’s Chelsea’s catalyst.
Willian is the man who gets Chelsea moving forward, often being involved in everything positive they do.
He has taken over from Eden Hazard in that regard, although he needs to score more goals.
Regardless, if City don’t contain Willian on Sunday, it will be curtains for their FA Cup ambitions.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Young Nigerian Kelechi Iheanacho scored a hat-trick in 4-0 defeat of Aston Villa in the previous round of the FA Cup, so he’ll be hoping for a repeat performance at Stamford Bridge.
With that much-publicised Champions League match in Kiev to follow in midweek, Iheanacho could be given a rare start against Chelsea as Manuel Pellegrini looks to rest Sergio Aguero.
On paper, that may weaken this City side, but the reality is Iheanacho is developing into a fine young player. He already has nine goals in all competitions this season and is showing what a threat he can be to opponents.
Prediction
Chelsea 3-1 Manchester City
Odds
Home Win: 5-6
Away Win: 15-4
Draw: 31-11
First Goalscorer: Diego Costa (4-1)
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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