Chelsea – Manchester City

Chelsea host Manchester City next Sunday. Two teams fighting their own battles. Chelsea, who are trying to get into the top five, which is now guaranteed the Champions League next season, while City, who have not completely given up on the gold yet. It will take a lot for Arsenal to mess it up on the eve now, but it is not in Pep's spirit to throw in the towel either. The light blues have thrown themselves over the goal line first several times before them, something Jurgen Klopp, among others, has experienced. Nothing is impossible, and City will go for it - rest assured. The hosts must try to find something that indicates form and therefore hope. As of now, it is quite dark in the yard.

Chelsea – The important 5th place

England and the Premier League will get five places among the elite this autumn. Good news for Chelsea, Liverpool, Villa and United. And maybe also Brentford, Fulham and Everton? Because there is not far between the boats, and with a good series at the end of the season it could result in the biggest for initially unlikely candidates.

Chelsea are out of form. Yes, they were beaten by Port Vale, but in the lead-up they have been ripped to shreds by PSG, Everton and Newcastle. That is not what the Royal Blues want, and with that they are also a bit behind in the fight for these important CL places. Still, it doesn't take much for things to look brighter, but it is less likely that it will look so bright when City are visiting. Because the Light Blues have a good hold on Chelsea.

The bright spot must be that they played on a little self-confidence against Port Vale. In the three games before this one they had not scored a single goal, and then it doesn't help that both Pedro and Palmer are available. Chelsea lost their form at a critical time of the season, and if they can't adjust now, most of it will fall apart. We expect a wait-and-see and disciplined Chelsea team on Sunday. We also expect that it won't help much.

Manchester City – A mixed season for the victorious

Because it shouldn't be like that you get crushed in the Champions League. Not there in the yard. It's no secret that the season is in some ways a disappointment already there. Yes, you won the League Cup, and you crushed Liverpool in the FA Cup, but that's not where City will pick up the silverware. It's the league and Europe that matter. Period.

The league is not lost yet. Pep's men are nine points behind Arsenal, potentially six points behind with the same number of games played. Then, of course, they have to beat Arteta's boys when they visit in round 33. After that, it will be difficult. The last three points will also be picked up, and with the program that Arsenal has left, it looks difficult. At the same time, City will most likely have to win all matches from here on in. Pep will probably not accept that they are slacking off until it is theoretically impossible, but there is little doubt that there is urgency now.

Beating Chelsea in London is no easy task either. So perhaps the task is not quite as difficult as it could be right now, but City are dependent on hitting the mark with the form of the day, as they did when Liverpool were punished in the FA Cup last weekend. Haaland scored again, Semenyo was good, and the midfield moved quickly. If City can replicate this, they will take three points home to Manchester.

Conclusion – Every match is a final

Because that's how it's going to be now. All the games are crucial, and the 30 points City have left to fight for must all go to the team. Adding 30 points to the 61 they already have will take us to 91 – a score that historically often results in gold. But there is no room for error anymore.

The last two in the league have ended in a draw for City. Four points have been left there alone. Those four points are the difference between a real opportunity and a futile hope. If only Nottingham and West Ham had been punished, the picture would have looked very different.

Since then, City have crashed out of the Champions League, won the League Cup over Arsenal, and knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup. It could be that this vitamin injection, as well as emerging goalscoring form for Haaland, is exactly what is needed at this stage of the season. Chelsea, for their part, need to exploit the qualities of Joao Pedro better than they have in recent times, and a man like Palmer needs to get more involved. Who is chosen to line up on the wings is much the same, you have to challenge and torment the opposition's full-backs considerably more. It has been too comfortable to face Chelsea recently.

If we sum up the match, what is at stake, the form of the teams and the players available, we end up with an away win. The odds are good, and at 2.15 we consider the game to be solid. Nevertheless, this game will be second in the final assessment. We consider over 1.5 City goals to be even better, as we do not quite know what we will get from this Chelsea team. We cannot completely free ourselves from the thought that this match will end 2-2, and that City's title ambitions will thus be shelved. But away goals – we will get that!

England at 17:30: Chelsea - Manchester City: Over 1.5 goals to Man City (1.80)

Alternative game

England at 17:30: Chelsea - Manchester City: Away win (2.15)