Chelsea vs Man City LIVE: Premier League updates with Haaland and Palmer set to start

The first meeting between these two sides came in 1907, with 177 matches played since.

Chelsea have won 77, with City winning 66 and 41 ending as draws.

The two teams drew in both their league meetings last season, playing out one of the matches of the season as Stamford Bridge as they drew 4-4. They also met in the FA Cup semi-final, with City running out 1-0 winners.

The most famous match between the two came in the Champions League final in May 2021, where Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea won their second trophy courtesy of a Kai Havertz goal.

That final was the last time Chelsea beat City in any competition.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has urged fans to be patient with the team, promising it is only a matter of time before they are ready to challenge at the top of the Premier League table.

The Italian is the sixth coach to have led the team since Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium bought the club two years ago, and he is preparing to kick off his tenure at home to Manchester City on Sunday 18 August.

“With time, we are going to close the gap. Hopefully it can happen very soon,” Maresca said in his pre-match press conference, adding that he wants Chelsea fans to be the “12th man” this season.

Chelsea are winless in their last six Premier League meetings with Manchester City (D2 L4), since a 2-1 away win in May 2021.

Overall, City are unbeaten in their last nine meetings with Chelsea (won seven, drew two).

No team has earned more points from their opening matches of the Premier League season than Chelsea , with 67. Only Man United have picked up more wins (21) than the Blues (20).

This is the first time Chelsea have begun a top-flight season with a match against the reigning champions since 1971-72, when they lost 3-0 against Arsenal.

Last season rendered Guardiola a history-maker in a new respect, the first manager to win four consecutive English titles. With Klopp gone, in a sense, he has eliminated the opposition. In another, he remains a marked man. “Everyone wants the crown that we have worn for four years,” he warned last week.

Guardiola’s capacity to create teams that can win both week in, week out and year in, year out adds to City’s powers of intimidation. They have a proven ability to reel off 12 or 15 straight victories. They could become the first English club to register five straight league titles, feats that have occurred in the recent past in France, Italy and Germany, but never here.

England international Cole Palmer has signed a two-year contract extension with Chelsea.

The Premier League club confirmed that 22-year-old Palmer, who joined Chelsea from Manchester City in a £42.5million deal last September, has committed himself to the Blues until June 2033.

“I’m delighted to sign this new deal,” Cole told Chelsea’s official website.

“I achieved a lot in my first season here, and hopefully I can continue to experience great things at this club, both on a personal level and in terms of bringing success and trophies to Chelsea.”

A reminder of how this weekend has gone so far in the Premier League (with match reports attached).

Manchester City, after their fourth title in a row, are aiming for a magnificent five-in-a-row – but will this be the season Arsenal finally get over the line and win a first top-flight crown in 21 years?

Liverpool will be an intriguing watch under new manager Arne Slot and a total of five clubs will take to the new season with a fresh look in the dugout, with Enzo Maresca at Chelsea, Julen Lopetegui at West Ham, Steve Cooper at Leicester City and Fabian Hurzeler at Brighton.

Maresca at Chelsea will be a fascinating watch and how will Erik ten Hag fare at Manchester United after being given a new contract? The journeys of the newly-promoted trio of Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton will be interesting, too.

Below, our writers make their predictions for the next season:

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Mudryk; Jackson.

Manchester City XI: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Matheus Nunes, Kovacic, De Bruyne; Doku, Bernardo Silva, Haaland.

This should be a captivating game between two teams with aspirations of success come the end of the season. City, of course, are the better side and may well prove too strong for a Chelsea team adjusting to a new style of play under Maresca. The Italian has been heavily influenced by Guardiola having worked at City as a coach before his move to Parma in 2021. At this point, though, the mentor should get the better of his disciple. 

Chelsea 0-2 Manchester City.

Reece James’ injury woes continue and the Chelsea captain will miss the opener with a hamstring injury, though he is also suspended.

Nicolas Jackson, Axel Disasi, Omari Kellyman and Djordje Petrovic are all doubts after missing long periods of pre-season, although Jackson is expected to feature.

Manchester City will be without Oscar Bobb, who is out with a fractured leg, while Jack Grealish is a doubt having missed the Community Shield last weekend. Pep Guardiola also recently confirmed that Rodri has not travelled to London with the squad.