Preview: Premier League champions Man City take on Chelsea in final home game of the season on May 21, 2023

Topics: TV Schedules, Manchester City, Chelsea, English Premier League

The Cityzens were officially crowned the champions of England following's Arsenal's loss at Nottingham Forest. Will the Blues be their latest victims?

Manchester City were preparing for their weekend clash with Chelsea knowing that a win would have secured them the Premier League crown. However, a result elsewhere means the Cityzens have already been crowned the champions but will Guardiola's men take the Blues apart given that there is nothing left to play for?

It wasn't long ago when Arsenal were the favorites for the Premier League crown and Manchester City were at grave danger of missing out on the title. However, Guardiola's men have gone on a remarkable winning streak, triumphing in all of their last 11 top-flight games and going on a 14-match unbeaten run to blitz past the Gunners.

The North London giants have also dropped completely out of form, which aided Pep's men in their comeback, but nothing should be taken away from the newly-crowned champions. During the aforementioned run, Haaland and Co. tore apart not only Arsenal, beating them 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium, but also Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham, Everton, and most recently Real Madrid.

City locked horns with Los Blancos in the UEFA Champions League seminal, drawing 1-1 in the first leg at Santiago Bernabeu. However, in the second leg, the Cityzens announced themselves as one of the most complete and fearsome Guardiola side, thrashing the Spanish giants 4-0 to progress to the final.

And it wasn't simply the result that sent shockwaves across the world. Ancelotti's men struggled to even maintain possession and were completely smothered and schooled by the English giants.

Furthermore, City have met Chelsea twice this season already, once in the league and once in the FA Cup, and have triumphed on both occasions. Given that the Abu Dhabi-owned side are chasing the treble, Pep could heavily rotate for this fixture, but the hosts would be favorites nonetheless.

The reason for that is simple: this current version of Chelsea is arguably the worst team in over two decades. While the London giants are blessed with talented players such as Enzo Fernandez, Raheem Sterling, Mateo Kovacic, Mykhaylo Mudryk, and veterans Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante, the collective has been abysmal.

The Blues are currently 12th in the table, meaning no European football for them next season. Additionally, they are not even the third best-ranked London club in the league behind Arsenal and Tottenham as Brentford, Fulham, and Crystal Palace all sit ahead of Lampard's club.

As a result, all energy is being geared towards next season, with Mauricio Pochettino expected to take over at Stamford Bridge and spearhead the Todd Boehly rebuild. However, pride is still at play and Chelsea need to pick up results in their final three games of the season.

Sterling and Co. enter this game on the back of their disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Nottingham Forest and have managed only one win in their last 11 matches across all competitions.

The visitors thus boast only 43 points and will finish the season trophyless, something unthinkable under former owner Roman Abramovich. Nonetheless, Sunday presents Chelsea with the opportunity to end the season on a positive note and beating City would be a start.

Team news

Man City: Pep has little to worry about as Nathan Ake is his only concern. The Dutchman is struggling with a hamstring issue and is unlikely to feature but rotation is likely to occur, with Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, and Kalvin Phillips all hoping for some minutes on the pitch.

Chelsea: Benoit Badiashile recently suffered a groin injury and thus joins Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, Mason Mount, N'Golo Kante, and Armando Broja on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Kovacic and Koulibaly are doubts.

Key stats

Man City are on a three-game winning streak against Chelsea in the Premier League, triumphing by a 1-0 score line on all three occasions.
Chelsea have never lost four games in a row against the Cityzens in the Premier League.
This will be the final home game of the top flight season for Pep's men. The last time they failed to win their last home game of the season was in 2015/16 against Arsenal.