Diego Costa
Diego Costa can reach 50 league goals against City

Chelsea host Manchester City in the Premier League on Wednesday (5 April) as the Blues look to bounce back from their shocking defeat against Crystal Palace last weekend.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 8pm BST. The game will be broadcast live on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD. Highlights of the game will be available on BBC MOTD from 10:45pm BST.

Overview

Chelsea are likely to be without Victor Moses, who is recovering from a toe injury that ruled him out against Palace. Pedro is expected to deputise for the former Wigan man at wing-back, a position where he performed astutely against the Eagles. Chelsea have not lost consecutive league games at home since November 2011, when they lost to Arsenal and then Liverpool.

All eyes will be on Diego Costa, who needs one more goal to complete 50 league goals for the Blues. The Spaniard failed to score against Palace and will be desperate to get his name on the scoresheet and lead the Blues closer to what would be their second league title in three years after a disappointing campaign last season. They are currently seven ahead of second placed Tottenham Hotspur but cannot afford to drop any more points as it will allow Spurs to further close the gap on them.

Manchester City will be without the injured Bacary Sagna, but Pablo Zabaleta is back fit and is eligible to replace Jesus Navas at right-back, having come on in the second half against Arsenal last weekend. Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus remain long term absentees, though the Brazilian has been making progress by returning to light training.

They are in a run of good form at the moment, being unbeaten in their last eight league games, half of which have been draws. They game has the potential to mark a lot of firsts for Pep Guardiola, who could draw four consecutive games for the first time in his career with a stalemate. A loss would see him lose a double header against a single team in a league campaign for the first time in his illustrious reign as manager.

What Managers Say

Antonio Conte: "Yes. When you play against City, it's really important to have good attention, above all without the ball. But you must also pay attention when you attack because they have good players to play counter-attack: Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero, but also Kevin de Bruyne. We're talking about a great team with a great coach. For sure, we haven't many days to prepare this game, but it's the same for Manchester City. They also played (on Sunday). I think Chelsea and Manchester City have a clear identity. In this case, it's not easy to prepare the game, but I will try to exploit the two days to prepare in the right way. For sure, we are facing a great team." (via Standard)

Pep Gaurdiola: " Chelsea will be a big game and especially a big game away, it is important to learn from these kinds of games for the future. They play less games, they have more time to prepare. But Chelsea will be in Europe next year and they have the quality compete. Chelsea deserve to be where they are, they have won a lot of games and deserve their position." (via Goal)

Betting Odds (betfair)

  • Chelsea win: 11/8
  • Draw: 5/2
  • Manchester City win: 11/5

Team News

Chelsea

Possible XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Pedro, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Fabregas, Costa, Hazard

Manchester City

Possible XI: Caballero; Zabaleta, Stones, Otamendi, Kolarov; Toure, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Silva, Sane; Aguero

Chelsea FC Manchester City FC Premier League