Chelsea will be heading into the final games of the 2022-23 season, where they have to face three clubs from the top 4. The final weeks kick off with a trip to the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, where Manchester City awaits a win in order to lift the Premier League trophy.
After trailing Arsenal for most of the season, Manchester City climbed to the top of the Premier League table, building a 4-point lead ahead of the former table-toppers. City has three games at hand, and a single victory in any of those three will give them a 7-point lead over the Gunners.
In addition to this, Erling Haaland could further extend his tally of scoring the most goals in a single Premier League season. The 22-year-old Norwegian is currently at the top of the leaderboard with 36 PL goals in 33 appearances.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have only two games remaining, with a maximum of six points available. Hence, Manchester City will be able to seal the deal and go to the title celebration party tomorrow night if they manage to defeat Frank Lampard’s men at home.
City has already defeated the Blues in all four previous meetings this season, including a 4-0 FA Cup thrashing in January. Pep Guardiola’s men are in flying form after they smacked defending UEFA Champions League champions Real Madrid 4-0 and secured their place against Inter Milan in the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final.
UPDATE: Manchester City has now confirmed the Premier League Champions after Arsenal fell victim to Nottingham Forest 1-0 in an away fixture. No one can stop tomorrow’s celebrations now!
Manchester City are Premier League champions 2022/23! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/6HJzDEoUfE
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 20, 2023
Possible Lineup: Manchester City
Pep Guardiola is expected to play his main squad against Chelsea to secure the Premier League title early. In addition, this will allow Pep to give rest to some of the main players ahead of the FA Cup final and the UCL final. However, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva could be getting a rest.
Possible formation: 3-2-4-1
GK: Ederson
CB: Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji
DM: John Stones, Rodri
Midfielders: Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish
Forward: Erling Haaland
Possible Lineup: Chelsea
Chelsea has lost key players to injuries throughout the season, and manager Frank Lampard has confirmed the absence of players like Badiashile and Kalidou Koulibaly in a press conference.
With that said, here’s what Chelsea’s lineup could possibly look like:
Formation: 3-4-3
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga
CB: Seko Fofana, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah
Midfielders: Lewis Hall, Enzo Fernandez, Connor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Forwards: Joao Felix, Raheem Sterling, Noni Madueke
Manchester City vs. Chelsea is scheduled to take place at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Sunday, May 21, at 3 p.m. GMT. You can buy tickets for the game from Viagogo and Ticombo.
