It is the pair’s first opening weekend encounter since 2006, when winning hosts Chelsea were the title holders.

Premier League fans voted last year’s thrill-a-minute 4-4 draw the best match of the season – ‘a game too good to have a winner,’ as the BBC put it.

This is only the fourth time since 1905 the Londoners have started a campaign against the defending league champions.

Alongside City’s Mancunian neighbours United, it is Chelsea who have written the most opening-day headlines, both gaining 67 points from 32 first fixtures, and each scoring 65 times in doing so.

On his dugout debut, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca will hope to maintain the Blues’ unbeaten run of top-flight matches in August at the Bridge, which stretches back to 2017.

Team news

The high-scoring draw in this fixture last season highlighted Chelsea’s strengths going forward and fallibility in defending, and Enzo Maresca immediately identified his young squad’s vulnerability to unchecked counter-attacks when losing possession.

The Italian has tried various remedial midfield measures in pre-season – a box or diamond shape, plus additional bolstering to that area from a central defender or full-back.

At the heart of his approach is the belief smart movement can outnumber opponents anywhere across the field. Evidence of that has produced some easy-on-the-eye attacking in recent outings.

For the first time since 2019, the Blues start a season without Thiago Silva, a record-breaking scorer in last season's eight-goal thriller against Man City. Other than Reece James’ suspension, key players are all available for Sunday.

That happily contrasts with this time last year, when the Blues opened with half-a-dozen important absentees – the early sign of an enduring problem.

Standouts as the Blues went toe-to-toe with the Mancunians last season were former City widemen Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer, the latter firing home the Londoners’ late leveller.

And Sunday could see the debut of brilliant one-on-one winger Pedro Neto, wizard of the assist while at Wolves.

Among others angling for a bow before the Stamford Bridge faithful will be Tosin Adarabioyo (aged 26), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (25), Marc Guiu (18) and Renato Veiga (21).

The history

It’s been some time since these two great trophy rivals met on the league’s opening weekend, most recently on 20 August 2006 at the Bridge.

John Terry, fresh from skippering and scoring for England in midweek, glanced in an Arjen Robben cross to break the deadlock after 11 minutes. A quarter-of-an-hour later, Frank Lampard turned on the edge of the box and fired in a second.

The defending champions – without Michael Ballack, Petr Cech, Joe Cole, William Gallas and Claude Makelele – were rarely troubled, especially after City debutant Bernardo Corradi was dismissed after being shown a second yellow. Didier Drogba’s diving header from Wayne Bridge’s cross sealed a 3-0 victory.

Is it too much to ask for a firework display like last season’s thrilling 4-4 draw? Though maybe with a last-gasp Palmer winner rather than an equaliser? That was a pulsating Sunday afternoon affair, Cole’s spot-kick sensationally denying his former club in the 95th minute.

The scoring had opened with a controversial penalty, dispatched by Erling Haaland, but the hosts rallied to equalise through Thiago Silva’s header, before taking the lead through Sterling.

The shape of the game shifted again as Manuel Akanji headed in from a short corner routine and Haaland bundled in City’s third. Quick reactions from Nicolas Jackson restored parity for the Londoners but, with four minutes remaining, against the run of play Rodri’s shot took a huge deflection to make it 4-3 to the visitors.

As the last seconds loomed, Armando Broja was felled by Ruben Dias and the reaction to Palmer’s penalty conversion almost blew the roof off the Bridge.

Know this…

The four goals Chelsea scored in last season’s draw at the Bridge was the most Manchester City had conceded in a league game since September 2020.

In April 1971 Chelsea and the Citizens made history as the first English clubs to meet in a European semi-final (the Cup Winners’ Cup), at the same time Liverpool and Leeds United contested a last-four tie in the European Cup. Chelsea ran out 2-0 aggregate winners, and would beat Real Madrid in the final to lift the trophy.

The Londoners also won our most recent European encounter, in the 2021 Champions League final, with Kai Havertz scoring the only goal of the game. That remains our most recent victory over City.

The East Stand at Stamford Bridge opened its turnstiles to spectators 50 years ago this weekend, on 17 August 1974.