- Man City travel to Chelsea in their first 2024/25 Premier League fixture
- Reigning champions won the Community Shield last weekend
- Cityzens kick off their hunt for a fifth successive English top flight title
Manchester City begin the defence of their Premier League crown on Sunday afternoon with a trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.
A fixture that finished 4-4 last season, notorious slow starters Man City will be aiming to take advantage of a Chelsea team at the beginning of its life cycle. Based on their impressive 4-2 win over the Blues during pre-season, with Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick, they should be considered strong favourites heading to the capital.
However, Pep Guardiola is missing a few players for the journey down south. A devastating injury to pre-season star Oscar Bobb and a muscle issue for Jack Grealish leaves Man City light in wide areas, while linchpin Rodri is lacking match sharpness after only returning to training on Wednesday.
Here is how Man City could line up at Stamford Bridge.
Man City predicted lineup vs Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
GK: Ederson - After missing the final game of last season and the Copa America, Ederson is now back guarding the Man City net. Stefan Ortega is a fine deputy but nobody can truly replace the Brazilian, who is staying put in Manchester despite Saudi speculation.
RB: Rico Lewis - Kyle Walker only returned to Man City on Monday alongside his England teammates, meaning Lewis could well earn another start on Sunday. The youngster has plenty of big-game experience and impressed in the Community Shield.
CB: Ruben Dias - The Portuguese stalwart is Man City's best central defender and John Stones' late return makes him a guaranteed starter this weekend. He may be asked some tough questions by the clever Christopher Nkunku.
CB: Manuel Akanji - Akanji netted the winning penalty in last weekend's Community Shield against bitter rivals Manchester United and will be battling with Nathan Ake for a starting spot throughout the season.
LB: Josko Gvardiol - Man City still don't possess an out-and-out senior left-back and that's down to Gvardiol's incredible form. The Croatian scored three goals in his final five Premier League games last season as he proved a surprising success bombing forward.
DM: Kevin De Bruyne - With Rodri not being risked, De Bruyne may be asked to play in a deeper role on Sunday. He wouldn't be a typical defensive midfielder, of course, but his defensive responsibilities may increase. Well, unless Guardiola throws young Nico O'Reilly into the starting XI again.
DM: Mateo Kovacic - Facing his former employers, Kovacic may be the deepest member of Man City's midfield. Not a role that brings out the best in the 30-year-old but he can certainly do a job there while Rodri recovers.
RW: Bernardo Silva - The scorer of Man City's 89th-minute equaliser in the Community Shield - before missing his penalty in the shootout - Silva will always be in and around the first team but Bobb's injury means he simply must start this Sunday.
AM: James McAtee - The young midfielder, who was on loan at Sheffield United last season, sparkled in pre-season and put in a solid shift during the Community Shield. Guardiola has waxed lyrical about his qualities and he should be seen regularly this season.
LW: Jeremy Doku - Grealish's injury concerns only solidify the Belgian's spot in the starting lineup. His direct running and lightning pace should cause the Chelsea backline and more specifically Malo Gusto issues.
ST: Erling Haaland - A hat-trick against Sunday's opponents in pre-season is a pretty nice warm-up. The Norwegian will be aiming to take advantage of Chelsea's desire to play out from the back, as he did on Man City's tour of the United States.
