Who: Chelsea vs Manchester City
Content: Premier League
Location: Stamford Bridge, London
Date and time: Sunday April 12th, 4:30pm (15:30 GMT)
How to follow: All content will be broadcast on Al Jazeera Sports from 12:30 GMT, ahead of a live text commentary stream.
Second-placed City face Chelsea on Sunday as the title race reaches a critical moment.
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League leaders Arsenal entered the weekend with a nine-point lead over City, having played more games than Josep Guardiola’s side.
If Arsenal beat Bournemouth on Saturday, that lead would increase to 12 points and City will be under intense pressure to pick up as many points as possible from a tricky trip to Stamford Bridge.
Sixth-placed Chelsea are looking to get their quest for Champions League qualification back on track, with just five points left in 18th place.
Five English teams are guaranteed to take part in Europe’s top club football competition next season, with the Blues starting the weekend one point below fifth-placed Liverpool.
Guardiola says City must be perfect after a shaky season
Guardiola said on Friday that unstable Manchester City have little room for error in the race for the Premier League title, despite having won six titles in nearly 10 years at the club and having a reputation for late-season power.
The title challengers face a tough series of games, starting with Sunday’s game against Chelsea and continuing with a home game against Arsenal on April 19.
“I hope we can get a lot of points,” Guardiola told reporters when asked about his team’s usual good performance at the end of the season.
“In the situation we are in the Premier League, we have to win every game otherwise we won’t have a chance to go all the way.
“We haven’t been consistent enough this season. We’ve dropped points that we should have taken. So we’re in a situation where we can’t do anything else now.”
‘Difficult’ Guardiola wants Silva to stay at Man City for life
Bernardo Silva has won six Premier League titles and the Champions League since joining City from AS Monaco in 2017, but his contract expires at the end of the season and he could leave the club.
Manager Guardiola said he did not know whether the 31-year-old Portuguese international would leave the club, but made it clear that he wanted to keep him at the club.
“The reason I’m so unhappy with Bernardo is because a month ago I said, ‘If you make a decision, I’m the first one (I need to know),'” the City manager said. “I don’t know what’s going on because he didn’t say anything.”
Guardiola added: “He’s not the tallest, he’s not the most muscular, he’s not the player who will score 50 goals or give 50 assists a season.” “These are the types of players who get a lot of attention, but after nine years, I know him well and I know what you want from a manager.
“Every manager loves him because he’s incredibly competitive and has a fire inside him. Even in the toughest moments and the biggest stages, he’s always there.”
“He was a great signing for us. I love this club and I want him to stay here and finish his career, but I don’t know. He will decide what he decides. It’s his decision.”
Rosenior says Fernandes will continue to miss games despite apology
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior says Enzo Fernandes will remain absent from the squad for Sunday’s Premier League game against City, despite apologizing for comments he made that called into question his future at Stamford Bridge.
“He apologized to me and he apologized to the club,” Rosenior told reporters on Friday.
“He won’t play on Sunday, but I hope he can play an important role in the group after that,” he said.
Rosenior denied the club suffered any damage by leaving Fernandes out against City.
“Football is a team sport, it’s not about individuals,” he said. “It’s not about shooting yourself in the foot.
“There are certain values and a culture that I believe in, and that this club believes in, and if we get them right, the team will be stronger.”
Chelsea are committed to the Champions League
Rosenior said he was confident his side could win as they aim for a top-five finish that would guarantee them Champions League football next season.
“We are a very good team. We have overcome difficult games, even if we were punished for our mistakes in those games,” he said.
“We’ve had some good moments. If you really analyze our games so far, we’ve caused problems for every team we’ve played, but we haven’t gotten the results.”
direct confrontation
The two clubs first met in 1907, ending in a 2-2 draw in the old First Division at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea and City have honked their horns 181 times. Chelsea won 71 games, City won 68 and drew 42.
Remarkably, Chelsea have not beaten City since they met in the 2021 Champions League final, when current England manager Thomas Tuchel was in charge of the Blues.
Last 10 encounters:
January 4, 2026: Man City 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League) January 25, 2025: Man City 3-1 Chelsea (Premier League) August 18, 2024: Chelsea 0-2 Man City (Premier League) April 20, 2024: Man City 1-0 Chelsea (FA Cup semi-final) February 17, 2024: Man City 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League) November 12, 2023: Chelsea 4-4 Man City (Premier League) May 21, 2023: Man City 1-0 Chelsea (Premier League) January 8, 2023: Man City 4-0 Chelsea (FA Cup third round) January 5, 2023: Chelsea 0-1 Man City (Premier League) 2022 9: Man City 2-0 Chelsea (League Cup 3rd round)
chelsea team news
Rossenia said centre-back Levi Colwill has returned to training after sustaining a serious knee injury in August, while right-back Reece James continues to run due to a hamstring problem.
“Colwill is fully trained but still needs to overcome some hurdles when it comes to selection,” he said.
Defender Trevor Chalobah is expected to miss out as he is still working his way back to fitness following an ankle injury, while winger Jamie Gittens also remains sidelined.
Expected starting lineup:
Sanchez (goalkeeper); Gusto, Fofana, Adarabioyo, Cucurella. Santos, Caicedo. Neto, Palmer, Estebao. pedro
man city team news
Ruben Dias is still recovering from a muscle problem and will not be ready for the Stamford Bridge trip.
Fellow defender Josko Gvardiol has also been out of action since January with a fractured tibia in his right foot, and has yet to return to action.
Expected starting lineup:
Donnarumma (goalkeeper); Nunez, Kusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly. Silva, Rodri. Semenyo, Cherki, Doc. haaland
