The Blues have recorded impressive away wins back-to-back, but will face the current top two teams on the road over the next eight days, as leaders Liverpool await in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley next weekend.

City returned to European action in midweek and took their current winning run in all competitions to 11 games, beating Copenhagen 3-1. The title-holders are quickly in action again on Tuesday for the rearranged league clash with Brentford.

More than a quarter of all away league goals conceded by Pep Guardiola’s side came in November’s eight-goal epic at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea led once and came back three times, most stunningly through Cole Palmer's last-gasp equalising penalty against his former side.

Chelsea team news

Chelsea have secured seven wins from the past 11 fixtures on all fronts but consistency within games remains elusive.

Despite having marginally less possession (75 per cent, not 78) after the break at Selhurst Park, the Blues created 11 chances compared to zero in the first half, earned six corners not one, and scored all three goals in the 3-1 victory.

Mauricio Pochettino’s tactical tweaks worked. He moved two strikers, Nicolas Jackson and half-time sub Christopher Nkunku, to loiter between Palace’s centre-backs and full-backs, pushed Ben Chilwell and Malo Gusto up like wing-backs, had Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher picking pockets between the lines, and Enzo Fernandez foraging as a deep No10.

A key issue against City is how to bypass or box-in their fulcrum, Rodri – equal parts playmaker and wrecker. At the Bridge the Spain midfielder scored a goal but was stretched supporting his full-backs, and the Blues’ intense pressing and rapid breaks exposed gaps.

Scoring the opening goal against City – something we’ve failed to do in each of the past seven league meetings – can be vital. Whenever they have lost this season the opposition have drawn first blood.

Our next successful penalty in the Premier League will be the 150th. Palmer’s sensational equaliser in this season's 4-4 draw was number 146. Remarkably, the 21-year-old scored as many goals for City this season (two) as Kevin De Bruyne has – in a third as many games.

The Blues still have many players unavailable including vastly experienced Thiago Silva, who has tweaked a groin, though Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto have recovered since being substituted at Palace, and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is available for the first time in 2024. Jackson is one card away from 10 cautions and a mandatory two-game ban.

Goal contributions in all competitions 2023/24

Opposition scout – Man City

Man City's current points tally, while impressive, is actually lower at this stage than in four of the previous six campaigns.

Everton held out for 70 minutes last weekend despite City being by a margin the division’s leading scorers before the break in home games, outscoring opponents by 17 goals to two. In second halves at the Etihad it’s a more level 12-8. In fact, eight of the 10 visiting goals have come in the last 30 or so minutes.

Guardiola mentioned Erling Haaland’s body language prior to netting twice against Everton, his first notches since late November. Haaland also hit a brace at the Bridge, one a penalty – and both involving VAR checks.

The Norwegian’s presence means City play direct and depend on set-play opportunities more than Guardiola’s ‘tiki-taka’ teams of the past.

Should injury rule out wide midfielders Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva, defender Josko Gvardiol and former Chelsea man Mateo Kovacic, it could have minimal impact. Grealish and Silva are easily replaced by the in-form Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden (with four goals in three games), and Manuel Akanji – an advancing centre-back at the Bridge – can play left-back.

Man City vs Chelsea – The history

Back in November at Stamford Bridge both teams scored four goals against each other for the first time since Chelsea’s 5-4 victory in the Full Members’ Cup final in March 1986.

It was the most Premier League goals City had conceded since a 5-2 home defeat by Leicester City in September 2020. The Londoners have won 27 of our 53 meetings since 1992 and the Mancunians 18.

Behind closed doors at the Etihad in May 2021, current Blues man Raheem Sterling opened the scoring for City, but a powerful second-half response secured all three points with goals from Hakim Ziyech and Marcos Alonso. Three weeks later we beat the same opponents 1-0 in the Champions League final in Porto.

Keeping it Blue

Chelsea and Manchester City are England’s two most successful clubs from the turn of the Millennium, with 20 and 19 major trophies respectively. The Londoners could move up to 21 next weekend at Wembley.

Honours claimed this century

Don’t worry ’bout a thing

Bob Marley captivated generations of music fans, and his Three Little Birds anthem inspired three big goals after being aired at Crystal Palace against Chelsea.

The classic Wailers tune has been an occasional favourite of Blues fans for 15 years or so – remember extra time against Napoli? But, coming at half-time and 1-0 down, the chant caught fire and continued for 45 minutes as the 3-1 turnaround was completed.

Coincidentally, Marley’s final London gig was at the Crystal Palace Bowl in 1980, and his recently deceased bassist Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett also happens to have played on another Chelsea fans’ favourite: Harry J All-Stars’ Liquidator.