Chelsea vs. Manchester City: Team News, Live Stream, TV Info, Ticket News
Chelsea may have no titles or European football to play for, but Guus Hiddink says he is demanding his players continue to fight until the end of the season and end the campaign with a flourish.
Out of all the cups and sitting in 10th place in the league, Europa League qualification is also now off the cards after last week's loss to Swansea City, which has set up six potential dead rubbers until May. Hiddink is having none of it, however.
"It’s been strange because this club is used to being involved for some titles in the last weeks and months of the season, and after the defeats in the Champions League and the FA Cup, there was a little bit of emptiness because there was no silverware to go for," Hiddink explained on Friday.
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"When it’s not happening, you feel it for a few days, but then you have to regather and refocus yourself and the team as well. What I have asked from [the players] is to go in to [the Manchester City] match and the rest of the matches with ambition and desire to get a good run going in the last games.
"I would like to finish my spell now at Chelsea in the last games with the players showing their quality—from the mental side of things as well."
Facing Man City this weekend is a strange one for both Chelsea and Manuel Pellegrini's side. Normally this game coming so late in the season would be about the winner taking the title, but with both teams well off the pace, the focus is elsewhere.
Given City remain in the UEFA Champions League, we're still not sure if Pellegrini will rest players with the semi-final against Real Madrid in mind, which kicks off in just under a fortnight.
Hiddink says he is expecting a big challenge still.
"City have had a beautiful week after getting in to the semi-finals," he said. "It’s good for them to be in the last four, and it’s a reward for their efforts over the last seasons.
"Their team is getting into a certain flow of success and results so they’ll like to continue it. It’s encouraging for them, and for us it is another reason why we expect very strong opposition."
Match Details
Date: Saturday, April 16
Time: 5.30 p.m. BST/12.30 p.m. ET
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK only)/NBC Sports (U.S. only)
Live Stream: Sky Go app (UK only)/NBCSN (U.S. only)
Last 5 Games
| Mar. 9 | Chelsea 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain |
| Mar. 12 | Everton 2-0 Chelsea |
| Mar. 19 | Chelsea 2-2 West Ham United |
| Apr. 2 | Aston Villa 0-4 Chelsea |
| Apr. 9 | Swansea City 1-0 Chelsea |
| Mar. 20 | Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United |
| Apr. 2 | Bournemouth 0-4 Manchester City |
| Apr. 6 | Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Manchester City |
| Apr. 9 | Manchester City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion |
| Apr. 12 | Manchester City 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain |
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea have some key players back from injury this weekend, with Gary Cahill and Willian both expected to start against City. Diego Costa also returns from his three-game suspension.
Loic Remy and John Terry remain on the sidelines, as does Eden Hazard, who Hiddink described as being close to getting back to full fitness after a troublesome hip injury.
David Silva will miss out for the visitors with an ankle problem. Raheem Sterling and Vincent Kompany are not expected to be fit, either.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Kenedy; Mikel, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Pedro; Costa
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Mangala, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho; Navas, De Bruyne, Nasri; Aguero
Key Players
Diego Costa
After a three-game absence, Diego Costa will be back for Chelsea this weekend. The striker has been suspended and was also injured during the past month, which left Chelsea having to rely on the likes of Alexandre Pato and Bertrand Traore.
Traore is a rising star of the game, so is still learning his trade. Pato, on the other hand, disappointed last week against Swansea City, and Chelsea lacked any real presence through the middle. Costa will change that.
He is a real threat and Chelsea's main source of goals so the expectation is that he will cause City's fragile defence plenty of problems.
Kevin De Bruyne
The Belgian left Stamford Bridge just over two years ago and returns this weekend for the first time. From a bit-part player under Jose Mourinho, he's now a bona fide star and has been the driving force for City this season.
His goal in midweek against Paris Saint-Germain reinforced that notion, with De Bruyne sealing his side's safe passage to a Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid.
De Bruyne causes defenders all sorts of problems in the final third. He creates goals and he scores them in equal measure, meaning the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta in wide positions will have to pay him close attention.
Motivated by wanting to get one over his former employers, we should expect another fine performance from De Bruyne.
Ticket Information
For ticket information on all Premier League games, visit the official site or go to the ticket page on Chelsea's official website.
Prediction
Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City
Odds
Home Win: +140
Away Win: +175
Draw: +240
First Goalscorer: Diego Costa (5/1)
Odds via Odds Shark and Oddschecker
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
