Chelsea, on the other hand, will look to end the current campaign with dignity after going through a disastrous season on all fronts. Guus Hiddink’s men will also look to finish as high up on the table as possible after almost certainly giving up on any chance of finishing in the top four.

Kickoff and Live Telecast

Channel: Star Sports 2

Date and Time: 16 April 2016, 9.50 PM IST

Venue: Stamford Bridge, London

Live Stream: Starsports.com

Betting Odds: Chelsea- 15/8 ; Draw- 12/5 ; Manchester City- 8/5 via Bet365

Team News

Chelsea

Diego Costa returns from his two-match ban and is almost certain to start the game. Eden Hazard is a doubt with his chances more along the lines of a 50-50. John Terry remains out after having undergone treatment on his Achilles injury which sees Gary Cahill starting with Branislav Ivanovic in defence. Nemanja Matic is also available for the tie.

Manchester City

Vincent Kompany will not make it in time to face Chelsea after losing his battle against time in gaining match fitness. Raheem Sterling remains out with an injury and Yaya Toure may be benched again after suffering the same fate against PSG midweek. Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala are set to start again in the heart of defence.

Probable Lineups

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Kenedy; Mikel, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar, Pedro; Costa

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Zabaleta, Mangala, Otamendi, Clichy; Fernando, Fernandinho; Silva, De Bruyne, Navas; Aguero

Form

Chelsea

Chelsea come into this crunch tie having lost last week to an ordinary Swansea side which saw Guus Hiddink’s men come in for some scathing criticism from the fans and pundits alike. Chelsea are also in a dire run of form having won only 1 of their last 5 games.

The run includes a loss to Everton and a draw against West Ham and their win came against Aston Villa.

Last 5 Matches: L-L-D-W-L (Last match: Swansea 1-0 Chelsea)

Manchester City

Manchester City enter the domestic mix again having beaten Paris Saint-Germain over two legs which included a convincing victory at home against the Parisian side. City have lost only once in their last five games and that too against arch-rivals Manchester United.

Last 5 Matches: L-W-D-W-W (Last Match: Manchester City 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain)

Key Stats

Chelsea have lost just 1 of their last 17 encounters against Manchester City at Stamford BridgeChelsea have won 1 of their last 7 Premier League home games. Manchester City have lost just 1 of their last 7 Premier League away games. Sergio Aguero has scored 10 goals in his last 11 appearances for Manchester City.

Key Battles:

Kevin De Bruyne vs John Obi Mikel

Kevin De Bruyne has created the most chances in the Premier League amongst individual players which seems odd enough because he has played only about 21 of Manchester City’s 32 games.

The Belgian has had a fantastic season with Manchester City despite injuries and he faces the team that once depended on him for the same creative spark, which he failed to deliver back then leading to his departure.

Whether the desire remains to show the team that he left behind exactly what they have missed first hand is secondary as Chelsea must deal with De Bruyne’s threat effectively if they are to stand a chance.

Up against the Belgian star will be the Nigerian John Obi Mikel who has had his own mini-renaissance under Guus Hiddink. The manager has preferred the Nigerian over Nemanja Matic since taking over and this will duel will make for an interesting battle in the game.

Sergio Aguero vs Gary Cahill

The general consensus amongst most pundits is that Gary Cahill has regressed this season after enjoying a largely successful one with Chelsea int he last campaign. It’s an accusation that can be thrown at largely most of the Chelsea players as of now.

Gary Cahill may have the most to prove since he could be the first to fall victim to an impending Antonio Conte revolution at Stamford Bridge but he may do well to serve a reminder that he is indeed still one of the best defenders in the League by keeping Sergio Aguero quiet on the night.

Keeping Sergio Aguero quiet, though, is no mean task and will require the Englishman to be at his best. However as the Argentine has proven time and again, the very best of the best players may prove a trifle for him as he may utterly destroy them anyway. Which side of his shows up on the night is yet to be seen.

Prediction

Manchester City have been on a good run of form of late and Chelsea have history on their side for once. With a squad that is still recovering from the intense match up against PSG, Manchester City look likely to drop points on the night. The smart money is on a draw.

Chelsea 2- 2 Manchester City

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