If Manchester City v Chelsea in the first round of the Premier League is anything to go by, then we're in for a treat on Saturday. The first leg of the clash ended in an incredible 4-4 draw, and we're expecting a similar goal-fest this time around.
When it comes to Manchester City, there's nothing too special about them. They seem to be doing their job, undefeated in their last 14 games and on an 11-game winning streak. Scorer Aynin Chalant scored twice against Ivory Coast last week, and despite a change in his hairstyle, Chiyon Dibny was his usual self in providing the assist for his good buddy.
However, I'd like to pay particular attention to Phil Cotton, who is in great form and is currently the only indispensable regular in a host of City's options on the wing or in attacking midfield, and what's even scarier is the fact that at just 23 years old he seems to be rolling in the dough for years, and I think there's still room for him to improve in the future.
This time last year, Giallorossi returned from the World Cup and did a great job in helping City on their way to the treble, and this season that role has fallen to Cotton. Cotton has become City's number 2 scorer this season with a hat-trick against Binford and a goal in the UEFA Europa League in midweek, contributing 25 goals and assists in 35 games so far. It looks like we're really starting to see him grow into a man who can carry the load, so let's hope that continues.
Though they can't match their opponents' recent form, Chelsea have at least got a positive result in 2024, which is quite an improvement compared to last year, but their overall form is still rather fluctuating.
This is an important game for Chelsea as they will face Liverpool in the EFL Cup final next week, so they don't want to be demoralized by Man City, which will affect their confidence for the final next week. Regardless of the result, Chelsea will need to deliver a certain performance and gain confidence from this match. Despite the fact that Chelsea were thrashed by the Reds in their earlier visit to Anfield, in general, they have been able to grab points and even win quite a few of their matches against the top 5 teams in the table this season, and I would attribute this phenomenon to the fact that they have adopted a different style of play when facing these teams.
Against strong teams, Chelsea is often happy to concentrate on defensive counter-attacking tactics, and when you have players with speed and power like Nicholas Nicholson, Golpenma, Gunnar Gallica, Staanen and Nicholas Jensen, backed up by the likes of Ensor Ferrandis, Malagostu and Giovanni, it's a real pain in the ass for any team.
