Chelsea vs Manchester City (English Premier League)
Date: Sunday, 20th March 2011; Kick-Off: 16:00 GMT
Date: Sunday, 20th March 2011; Kick-Off: 16:00 GMT
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea vs Manchester City LIVE Streaming
Chelsea vs Manchester City: Chelsea now turn their attention to Barclay's Premier League where they face Manchester City, this after Chelsea booked their place in the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League after beating FC Copenhagen 2-0 on aggregate and will now face Manchester United in the Champions League Quarter finals.
Chelsea vs Manchester City - Catch all the latest team news, match preview, pre-match analysis, interviews and a lot more right here at Chelsea FC News.
TEAM NEWS
Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that David Luiz will start and that Essien, Fernando Torres and Malouda also return to the starting line-up.
Chelsea will still be without Alex who has recovered from his knee injury but is still not 100% fit to play. Same goes for Yossi Benayoun who has recovered from his Achilles injury but Carlo Ancelotti is not rushing both, as Chelsea prepare to play the crucial games of this 2010-11 season.
As for Manchester City, they will be without James Milner, Adam Johnson and Shay Given who are out through injuries.
Carlo Ancelotti on Manchester City: "All three games we lost against Man City while I have been manager we have lost due to counter attacks."
"Man City will try to do the same on Sunday, they are very dangerous in counter attack and obviously we want to avoid this. We do this by maintaining a good balance on the pitch because we want to play our football as well. We want use our strength, our ability and our confidence to win the game."
Carlo Ancelotti on Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini: "Mancini is a very intelligent coach. He is able to prepare very well a tactical game, he has experience and this is the reason I have had a lot of difficulty against him, and I want to do better on Sunday."
"We were team-mates in the national team and he is a very good friend, but maybe not so much a friend now because he won too many times against me. He has to understand he is my friend so sometimes he can give something to a friend!"
Carlo Ancelotti on his strikers and lack of goals from them:" I don't have a first choice in attack because I want to maintain the condition of the players up front."
"They are in good condition, they are motivated, so there is no difference. Who we play depends on the kind of tactics we want to use. If we want to use quick transition, counter-attack football, we use Anelka because he is quick. For power in the box we can also use Drogba."
"We used this against Copenhagen because they tried to press in front of us. It was important to avoid passes from the back, so we changed something. With 4-4-2 we are defensively more compact."
TEAM NEWS
Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that David Luiz will start and that Essien, Fernando Torres and Malouda also return to the starting line-up.
Chelsea will still be without Alex who has recovered from his knee injury but is still not 100% fit to play. Same goes for Yossi Benayoun who has recovered from his Achilles injury but Carlo Ancelotti is not rushing both, as Chelsea prepare to play the crucial games of this 2010-11 season.
As for Manchester City, they will be without James Milner, Adam Johnson and Shay Given who are out through injuries.
Chelsea FC - Press Conference Pre Manchester City
Chelsea FC - Essien Pre Manchester City
"Man City will try to do the same on Sunday, they are very dangerous in counter attack and obviously we want to avoid this. We do this by maintaining a good balance on the pitch because we want to play our football as well. We want use our strength, our ability and our confidence to win the game."
Carlo Ancelotti on Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini: "Mancini is a very intelligent coach. He is able to prepare very well a tactical game, he has experience and this is the reason I have had a lot of difficulty against him, and I want to do better on Sunday."
"We were team-mates in the national team and he is a very good friend, but maybe not so much a friend now because he won too many times against me. He has to understand he is my friend so sometimes he can give something to a friend!"
Carlo Ancelotti on his strikers and lack of goals from them:" I don't have a first choice in attack because I want to maintain the condition of the players up front."
"They are in good condition, they are motivated, so there is no difference. Who we play depends on the kind of tactics we want to use. If we want to use quick transition, counter-attack football, we use Anelka because he is quick. For power in the box we can also use Drogba."
"We used this against Copenhagen because they tried to press in front of us. It was important to avoid passes from the back, so we changed something. With 4-4-2 we are defensively more compact."
"It is a surprise because last year Didier Drogba scored 37 goals but I have confidence they will score quickly. I am not worried about this because we have ability and we have the skills to score."
"Fernando Torres just needs to play as well as he has been. He needs to score above all for himself and not for the team because the team is doing well, but I understand for the striker it is very important to score."
"I ask the strikers not to just score but to also be involved in the play for the team. I have had this situation with strikers a lot of times. I kept Hernan Crespo six months in the team without scoring. I am patient with my strikers."
"It is very important to score but the team has to score. Obviously the strikers are more involved in that but it is important for us that they move well to open the space for Frank Lampard."
Carlo Ancelotti on the upcoming games and the Champions League quarter final : "If we are able to win before the quarter-final, it is important for the confidence in Europe as well as the league table."
"We don't want to think about the quarter-final now, we want to focus on these two games because if we win these two games we will be able to arrive at the quarter-final with confidence."
Carlo Ancelotti on the Premier League: "It doesn't depend on us. Our aim is to beat Manchester City but we can come back and fight for the title if Manchester United or Arsenal lose. If they don't lose, we don't have a chance."
"To win today is very good for us. Also because in this moment Manchester City are fighting for third place with Tottenham and us so it will be very important for us to win."
"Fernando Torres just needs to play as well as he has been. He needs to score above all for himself and not for the team because the team is doing well, but I understand for the striker it is very important to score."
"I ask the strikers not to just score but to also be involved in the play for the team. I have had this situation with strikers a lot of times. I kept Hernan Crespo six months in the team without scoring. I am patient with my strikers."
"It is very important to score but the team has to score. Obviously the strikers are more involved in that but it is important for us that they move well to open the space for Frank Lampard."
Carlo Ancelotti on the upcoming games and the Champions League quarter final : "If we are able to win before the quarter-final, it is important for the confidence in Europe as well as the league table."
"We don't want to think about the quarter-final now, we want to focus on these two games because if we win these two games we will be able to arrive at the quarter-final with confidence."
Carlo Ancelotti on the Premier League: "It doesn't depend on us. Our aim is to beat Manchester City but we can come back and fight for the title if Manchester United or Arsenal lose. If they don't lose, we don't have a chance."
"To win today is very good for us. Also because in this moment Manchester City are fighting for third place with Tottenham and us so it will be very important for us to win."
Carlo Ancelotti on David Luiz: "He is a fantastic defender with the ball. He has to improve without the ball and he has to be more in focus defensively but obviously he will improve. He didn't know the atmosphere here in English football but he has shown fantastic ability from the beginning, without experience. He will be the future of Chelsea. In our kind of football it's important for the centre-backs to start to play from the back with clean passes."
Branislav Ivanovic on the game against Manchester City: "This is the most important game, against Manchester City. It can change our situation because if we win the game we are still fighting for the title and we are going up on Man City, United and Arsenal, so it has to be a crucial game for us. If we beat City we can finish on top of them. It is important for us because with this game we can be back on our way."
Branislav Ivanovic on massive investment in new players at Manchester City: "Looking at the Manchester City squad it is a very good squad. There are a lot of world-class players playing well and showing this, but the points you cannot buy, the players you can but you have to deserve the points on the pitch."
Branislav Ivanovic on Chelsea's team spirit: "You have to be a team; football is a collective sport, not just 11 players. We are back in the right way and we are strong. We are working like a team, have to give everything for the team and it doesn't matter who scores, we just want the win on Sunday. It will be a very difficult game, we lost the last three games against Man City and we have to react to this and be motivated for this game."
Branislav Ivanovic on Fernando Torres and the change in formation due to the strikers arrival at Stamford Bridge: "It is important a team can play more formations, not only one, because sometimes it depends on the opponent team and how they play. It is a plus for us, there are not many changes in the defensive line which always plays with four players but it is a little bit different, the job for the midfield players, but the guys are doing very well until now."
"Fernando showed a very good performance, he is getting the chances, which is important for the strikers, and I think the goals will come for him."
"I can see how he is working on the training ground and in games, and it is coming, the chances are coming and I think every striker needs goals for confidence and they will come, no problem."
KEY STAT
Manchester City have not won any of their last eight away matches in all competitions.
Probable Team Line-ups
Chelsea (Possible, 4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Essien, Lampard; Anelka, Torres, Malouda.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov; De Jong, Barry; Tévez, Y Toure, Silva; Dzeko.
Referee Chris Foy
Match preview
Chelsea have been in good form of lately with successive premier league wins followed by a win against FC Copenhagen that ensured Chelsea of a berth in the quarter finals (against Man U).
This is an important game for Chelsea as Manchester City are also our top4 rivals this season and a win over them will take us to the 3rd position in the Barclays Premier League table.
Recent run ins against Manchester City havent been that great for Chelsea as we have lost the last three against them in the Premier league, the last one being the 1-0 loss at Manchester City stadium back in September 2010 when Carlos Tevez scored the lone goal.
Last season Manchester City won this fixture 4-2 where Chelsea finished with nine men after losing Juliano Belletti and Michael Ballack to red cards.
Chelsea and Manchester City have met 13 times at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League but in between the last and first, both won 4-2 by City, Manchester City have scored just two goals in 11 games.
As things stand domestically it looks like three teams - Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur - are battling for third and fourth place and Champions League places.
Out of the three Chelsea have better a chance of finishing third as they have a game in hand and also are already three points clear of Tottenham.
Chelsea and Man City have the best two defences in the top flight. Chelsea have conceded 24 goals and managed 12 clean sheets, while Manchester City have let in 25 with 13 shutouts.
So get ready for some pulsating action at Stamford Bridge. Come on CHELSEA!!! KTBFFH.
Branislav Ivanovic on the game against Manchester City: "This is the most important game, against Manchester City. It can change our situation because if we win the game we are still fighting for the title and we are going up on Man City, United and Arsenal, so it has to be a crucial game for us. If we beat City we can finish on top of them. It is important for us because with this game we can be back on our way."
Branislav Ivanovic on massive investment in new players at Manchester City: "Looking at the Manchester City squad it is a very good squad. There are a lot of world-class players playing well and showing this, but the points you cannot buy, the players you can but you have to deserve the points on the pitch."
Branislav Ivanovic on Chelsea's team spirit: "You have to be a team; football is a collective sport, not just 11 players. We are back in the right way and we are strong. We are working like a team, have to give everything for the team and it doesn't matter who scores, we just want the win on Sunday. It will be a very difficult game, we lost the last three games against Man City and we have to react to this and be motivated for this game."
Branislav Ivanovic on Fernando Torres and the change in formation due to the strikers arrival at Stamford Bridge: "It is important a team can play more formations, not only one, because sometimes it depends on the opponent team and how they play. It is a plus for us, there are not many changes in the defensive line which always plays with four players but it is a little bit different, the job for the midfield players, but the guys are doing very well until now."
"Fernando showed a very good performance, he is getting the chances, which is important for the strikers, and I think the goals will come for him."
"I can see how he is working on the training ground and in games, and it is coming, the chances are coming and I think every striker needs goals for confidence and they will come, no problem."
KEY STAT
Manchester City have not won any of their last eight away matches in all competitions.
Probable Team Line-ups
Chelsea (Possible, 4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Essien, Lampard; Anelka, Torres, Malouda.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov; De Jong, Barry; Tévez, Y Toure, Silva; Dzeko.
Referee Chris Foy
Match preview
Chelsea have been in good form of lately with successive premier league wins followed by a win against FC Copenhagen that ensured Chelsea of a berth in the quarter finals (against Man U).
This is an important game for Chelsea as Manchester City are also our top4 rivals this season and a win over them will take us to the 3rd position in the Barclays Premier League table.
Recent run ins against Manchester City havent been that great for Chelsea as we have lost the last three against them in the Premier league, the last one being the 1-0 loss at Manchester City stadium back in September 2010 when Carlos Tevez scored the lone goal.
Last season Manchester City won this fixture 4-2 where Chelsea finished with nine men after losing Juliano Belletti and Michael Ballack to red cards.
Chelsea and Manchester City have met 13 times at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League but in between the last and first, both won 4-2 by City, Manchester City have scored just two goals in 11 games.
As things stand domestically it looks like three teams - Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur - are battling for third and fourth place and Champions League places.
Out of the three Chelsea have better a chance of finishing third as they have a game in hand and also are already three points clear of Tottenham.
Chelsea and Man City have the best two defences in the top flight. Chelsea have conceded 24 goals and managed 12 clean sheets, while Manchester City have let in 25 with 13 shutouts.
So get ready for some pulsating action at Stamford Bridge. Come on CHELSEA!!! KTBFFH.
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