http://www1.skysports.com/football/news ... round-five
Man City v Chelsea, 3.30pm, Sunday, Sky Sports 1
Chelsea need to change how they play if they want to get a result at Man City. If they go out and play Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas as the two central midfielders then they’ll get run ragged because Fabregas isn’t disciplined enough in a game like this. Ramires or John Obi Mikel need to come in and sit with Matic and do a job or else City will cause havoc. I think Jose Mourinho will change things and won’t play like he did against Everton, Swansea and Schalke. As long as he tightens things up they can get a draw.
Mourinho has suggested Diego Costa won’t play and if that happens then Man City will win, it’s as simple as that. He's not going to play him in the Capital One Cup so I’ve no doubt he will play in this one though. As for Man City, they didn’t have enough pace on the break against Bayern Munich and it was only a matter of time before they conceded to a top team. I think City will get a result – but what the result is all depends on whether Costa plays or not.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 if Costa plays, otherwise 2-0 to Man City
Lawro has decided to stay on the fence for a 2nd week
These are the two outstanding teams in the Premier League and I am a little bit sorry that this game has come so early in the season - ideally, you want to see them meet near Christmas and then in May, not September and January.
After their hiccup at home to Stoke, City have had a tough week, drawing at Arsenal on Saturday and then losing in the last minute against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Chelsea, who had to settle for a draw with Schalke in their Champions League game, have dealt with everybody they have played in the Premier League but, until now, they have not met anybody who is a serious threat for the top four - and I would include Everton in that.
Can Mourinho repeat managerial masterclass?
Chelsea's win over Manchester City at Etihad Stadium last season was classic Mourinho - he never just looks to stop teams, but always tries to hurt them as well
The thing that stood out for me was the way Mourinho looked at City and how David Silva starts on the left of midfield and continuously drifts infield.
So, what Mourinho did was push Branislav Ivanovic forward down that flank. If you remember Ivanovic's first half, he really put City to the sword with his goal and the space he found.
It really was a masterclass in terms of Mourinho looking at the opposition, spotting a weakness and making the most of it to get a result.
I would suspect Jose Mourinho would take a point away from home against his major rivals for the title, and make sure his team do not lose.
You probably know what I am like by now when I make predictions for these big games - I go for a lot of draws, and that is the result I am going with here.
Lawro's prediction: 1-1
Neil Lennon's prediction: City have not hit anything like top form yet and I think Chelsea go into the game as favourites, because of what Mourinho has got up his sleeve. 1-2
