Pep Guardiola urged his Manchester City side to be on guard against a Chelsea team that has faced a tumultuous few days following their decision to part ways with coach Enzo Maresca.
The Blues’s Italian manager left after a month of turmoil, both on and off the pitch, despite having guided the team to the UEFA Conference League title and the FIFA Club World Cup crown last year. Replacing him in the Chelsea dugout for Sunday’s English Premier League clash against Guardiola’s men will be interim manager Calum McFarlane.
As such, Guardiola admitted he does not know what to expect from Chelsea on the tactical front, but insisted his team will not be taking them lightly. “[I] won’t talk much if you don’t know what’s going to happen [with] the opponent, because the manager, I don’t know which manager will be sitting there [in the dugout]. Just think about yourself and what you have to do. [But] It has always been a dangerous game against Chelsea. [They are] really good,” Guardiola said.
Pep Guardiola
City, who are four points behind league-leaders Arsenal, will be bolstered by the presence of 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who returned from injury in their previous league tie against Sunderland and shimmered in the second-half of an otherwise drab result.
“Nico [Gonzalez] has been outstanding, but Rodri is Rodri. Everybody knows it. We are better and people feel better, but we have to be careful,” said Guardiola of his mid-field metronome. Meanwhile, Blues interim boss McFarlane was impressed by the energy displayed by his squad despite being handed over the reins at short notice.
“The energy and enthusiasm was exceptional. They were really focused, driven and hungry. We have a massive game on Sunday. Reece [James] has been brilliant, he has been a real leader in the group and helped the staff and players to get ready for Sunday,” said McFarlane, before adding that he is not concerning himself with whether he keeps the role on a full-time basis beyond the Sky Blues encounter. Chelsea are currently fifth in the EPL table with 30 points from 19 games.
Aston Villa down Notts Forest 3-1
Aston Villa beat struggling Nottingham Forest 3-1 at home on Saturday, thanks to a brace from John McGinn. Ollie Watkins also got on the scoresheet for Villa, with Morgan Gibbs-White pulling one back for Forest. The result sees Villa move to second place in the EPL table (42 points from 20 games).
08
No of times Man City have beaten Chelsea in their last 10 meetings at the Etihad Stadium
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