How should Chelsea line up against Manchester City to start the new year right?
Share this story
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Chelsea begin the new year with a home game against COVID-hit Manchester City, though despite a number of absences for Pep Guardiola, including Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus, and goalkeeper Ederson, Chelsea’s task won’t be made much easier at all.
City have been in pretty good form, and have collected the same number of points as Chelsea thus far, but in two fewer matches played. If City were to win both of those games, they’d be just one point off the top.
Punch Newspapers
Sections
Published 1 January 2021
Manchester City will be without five players for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Chelsea due to positive tests for coronavirus, Pep Guardiola has confirmed as he defended the decision to postpone Monday’s clash with Everton.
City revealed there had been four positive cases at the club on Christmas Day, including for players Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus.
A further round of testing found three more cases among the City squad on Monday, leading to the match being called off just four hours before kick-off.
“Five players are isolating for 10 days,” said Guardiola on Friday. “Some of them, the first cases that were released, it was four people – two players – and three more the second time.”
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said Friday that there have been a “couple” of positive cases among the club’s staff but players weren’t infected.
The Premier League has said it has no plans to suspend the competition despite rising infections nationally caused by a more transmissible variant of COVID-19.
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is unhappy with the league, criticizing the late decision to postpone the match against Fulham around three hours before Wednesday’s 6 p.m. kickoff after a coronavirus outbreak at its London rival.
“I felt (it was) unprofessional, but that is the way it was,” Mourinho said Friday. “We were preparing ourselves for that match and of course we didn’t play and that is disruptive of what is a week of work.
2002: Kevin Keegan s side ran out 3-1 winners over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. Three second half goals from Shaun Goater, Eyal Berkovic and Shaun Wright-Phillips sealed the win, with former City man, Michael Brown scoring the only goal for the hosts.
2005: A goal either side of half time from Paul Bosvelt and Shaun Wright-Phillips secured a 2-1 home win over Southampton, to ensure City got 2005 off to a winning start.
2007: A Georgio Samaras brace proved too much for Everton, as City ran out 2-1 winners at the City of Manchester Stadium over the Toffees.
2013: Roberto Mancini s City ran out convincing 3-0 winners over Stoke City at the Etihad Stadium, thanks to goals from Pablo Zabaleta, Edin Dzeko and a Sergio Aguero penalty.
Cinco futbolistas del Manchester City dieron positivo para coronavirus - Diario ExpresoDiario Expreso expreso.com.pe - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from expreso.com.pe Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.