The Premier League rivals Chelsea faces off against Manchester City in a pre-season friendly in Ohio, United States on Saturday.
On Thursday, Enzo Maresca led Chelsea to taste their first win under his helm and also the first on a pre-season tour in the USA. The Blues registered an imposing 3-0 victory, beating the Mexican Champions, Club America, in Atlanta. Marc Guiu scored his first goal for Chelsea, while Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke converted their chances from the spot.
Contrary to popular belief, the Manchester City pre-season tour hasn’t been a fruitful expedition, mainly due to the unavailability of their main squad. The English champions will wrap up their pre-season campaign against Chelsea. They started their tour with a 4-3 defeat to Celtic, followed by a 3-2 loss to AC Milan. Most recently, they shared the spoils with Barcelona 2-2 in Orlando but lost on 4-1 penalties.
In an all-English affair, the Pep Guardiola-managed side will intend to conclude their Stateside tour on high by securing a win before flying back to England to prepare for the high-stakes Community Shield clash against city rivals Manchester United next weekend.
Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca’s men will be determined for a second successive victory on tour to boost their confidence ahead of their scheduled meetings with the European Champions, Real Madrid. And later, they are hosting the Serie A crown holders, Inter Milan, at home to round off their preparations for the 2024–25 season.
When and Where?
Date: Saturday, 3 August 2024
Time:11.30 pm BST
Venue: Ohio Stadium, Columbus.
Team News
The Blues have a few injury and fitness concerns with Nicholas Jackson, who has yet to recover from his ankle injury, which he picked up during international duty. Moises Caicedo is also expected to miss the action due to an injury. While Benoit Badiashile and Malo Gusto both suffered cramps in their previous outing against Club America, they are expected to recover in time for the match.
For the citizens, the majority of their key first-team players have missed out on the USA pre-season trip. John Stones, Kyle Walker, Rodri, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, and Bernardo Silva are absent due to international duty over the summer. Julian Alvarez is busy participating in the Paris Olympics 2024, as the Argentine won’t return to club action before the league opener amid his transfer rumors.
Pre-Match Analysis
Following a positive result, Chelsea would be keen to carry on the momentum and improve. The Italian boss is expected to continue with the (4-2-3-1) formation, and Filip Jorgensen might make his full debut in goal. Reece James and Ben Chillwell are likely to start on either side of the defense, with the center-back pairing of Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana. After delivering a solid performance, the Romio Lavia and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall duo will again be in a double pivot role.
The attacking front three will feature familiar names: Noni Madueke Raheem streaming as a wide midfielder, Christopher Nkunku with a number-ten role in the middle, and Marc Guiu starting as a striker.
The Catalan manager’s trademark (4-2-3-1) tactical approach will be a mix of both senior members and youth prospects in the starting eleven. City has a limited number of first-team players to work with. Ederson is to remain in goal, and Kalvin Phillips’s temporary switch to the backline is to pair alongside Josco Gvardiol. Mateo Kovacic and the club’s youth talent—Nico O’Reilly—to again play as doubt-pivots in between defense and midfield set-up
In the midfield trio, exciting names such as Oscar Bobb and James McAtee, who have already proven their talent, would join Jack Grealish and the serial goal scorer, Erling Haaland, to lead the attack as number nine.
Key Players
Kiren Dewsbury-Hall
It didn’t take long for Dewsbury-Hall to leave his mark in Chelsea colors, the midfielder was one of the standout performers in the game against Club America. The 25-year-old paired up with Romeo Lavia in a pivot role, recording an excellent 83% passing accuracy and providing an assist through his pinpoint cross from the left flank that found Marc Guiu’s head, resulting in a goal. He even had 3 shots showcasing his capability of playing an advanced role.
Kiren Dewsbury-Hall has the ability to control the tempo of the game, with his defensive and attacking attributes and high work rate. In addition, his prior experience of playing under Enzo Maresca at Leicester City could make him a key player for the Blues going forward into the packed 2024-25 season and beyond.
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs Man City: Jorgensen; James, Adarabioyo, Fofana, Chilwell; Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall; Madueke, Nkunku, Sterling; Guiu.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs Chelsea: Ederson; Lewis, Phillips, Gvardiol, Wilson-Esbrand; O’Reilly, Kovacic; Bobb, McAtee, Grealish; Haaland.
