Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea are vying for a top-four finish in the Premier League. But Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have more than just one aspiration. They’re gunning for their fifth Premier League title and a maiden Champions League triumph. Both the English giants are expected to fight tooth and nail in tonight’s encounter, which is being dubbed as the dress rehearsal for the Champions League summit showdown on May 29.
Guardiola feels the Premier League is the most important title for him. “Maybe qualifying for the Champions League is the most important but there is no doubt this is the most important. The Champions League is so special, it is nice, but this means so many things. We have four games to get two points, one victory, and we are going to try to get it,” the City manager was quoted as saying by AFP. So the number-crunching has been done already. If City win tonight, they win the Premier League.
But we have culled out some more stats that you must know:
Let’s begin with the basics. Out of the 34 matches played this season, table-toppers Manchester City have won 25, drawn five and lost four. And Chelsea’s report card hasn’t been quite there. The Blues have won 17, drawn ten and lost seven games.
- City and Chelsea have met 47 times in Premier League history. Chelsea have beaten City 26 times -- the most by any team in the history of the tournament --, while City have managed to win only 14 times. Taking into consideration their last ten encounters, City won seven and Chelsea three.
- In the history of competitive football, both the teams have locked horns 167 times. Chelsea have won 69 games and City 59. The rest of the 39 matches ended in a draw. Both the teams played their first ever game in 1907 in England’s League Division One.
And what does the Chelsea boss have to say about the clash tonight? “I'm not so sure. The possibility they can become champions if they win against us will not lower their ambitions and determination. They have one more day to recover, they don't have to travel, and that gives them a bit of the upper hand,” he said.
City will miss the services of centre-back John Stones, as he must complete a three-match domestic ban. And for Chelsea, midfielder Mateo Kovacic will remain unavailable out due to a prolonged hamstring injury.
