- Manchester City face Chelsea on Sunday
- City overcame Liverpool 4-0 in last Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final
- Several players staked their claim for a start this weekend
Manchester City face Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday in a pivotal fixture at the Etihad Stadium, one which City must win if they are to keep pace with Arsenal and maintain their title bid.
With eight games remaining of the Premier League season, Man City are nine points adrift of Arsenal and have a game in hand over their rivals.
The top two sides in the league face off in a fortnight in Manchester, but first City must overcome Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Pep Guardiola has a wealth of talent to choose from within his squad. However, after City’s dazzling performance against Liverpool last time out, we feel these three stars simply have to start against the Blues on Sunday.
Three Man City players who must start against Chelsea
Given City’s 4-0 victory over Arne Slot’s Liverpool, an argument could be made for starting any of those involved in the FA Cup triumph.
However, the three men listed below deserve special recognition for their contributions, and we believe they simply have to start the trip to Chelsea.
Rayan Cherki
French international Rayan Cherki was branded ‘unplayable’ for his glittering display last weekend. The forward appeared to be absolutely everywhere and was huge for the Citizens.
He provided the assists for Antoine Semenyo’s 50th-minute goal with a pinpoint through ball, having also linked up with the Ghanaian international to set up the second goal of Erling Haaland’s sublime hat-trick.
Cherki was instrumental in everything City did well against Liverpool, and he ought to be a nailed-on starter for Sunday’s game.
Nico O’Reilly
Next up, young Nico O’Reilly continued his scintillating form with another excellent performance, which should see him start at the weekend.
The 21-year-old academy graduate assisted Haaland’s third, and was a constant threat down the left-hand side – one which Liverpool repeatedly failed to deal with.
Having picked up Man City’s goal of the month award for March after his match-winning header in the Carabao Cup final, the young full-back is surely one of the first names on Guardiola’s team sheet.
Antoine Semenyo
And finally, January signing Semenyo is the third City star we think should definitely start against Chelsea, after another top-level display.
The former Bournemouth winger has been excellent since his mid-season arrival, and proved his worth once again with a goal and an assist as the Sky Blues overpowered Liverpool.
His link-up play with Cherki was world-class, and his pace, power and skillset were a joy to watch in what was a superb performance from every member of Guardiola’s team.
Chelsea clash could be decisive in Man City title hunt
The next two Premier League games will be make-or-break for City. If the Carabao Cup winners can get past Chelsea, they will head into the following weekend’s fixture against Arsenal in a fantastic position.
Still with a game in hand, victory in both of those matches would see Arsenal’s lead reduced to six points, and the gap could shrink further if Mikel Arteta’s side slip up against Bournemouth on Saturday.
This year’s title race is still by no means in City’s hands as it stands. Nevertheless, if they can continue to pick up maximum points and pile the pressure onto Arsenal, anything could happen in the closing weeks of the season.
