Sport
Chelsea vs. Manchester City head-to-head record
Ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester City, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the head-to-head record between the two clubs.
The 175th meeting between Chelsea and reigning Premier League champions Manchester City takes centre stage at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
Chelsea returned to winning ways and condemned former league leaders Tottenham Hotspur to their first defeat of the season when they put their London rivals to the sword 4-1 in a chaotic contest last Monday, which saw Nicolas Jackson net a hat-trick and Spurs reduced to nine men.
Man City, meanwhile, capitalised on Tottenham’s implosion to climb to the top of the Premier League table courtesy of a thumping 6-1 victory over Bournemouth, before cruising to a 3-0 win against Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday to secure their place in the last 16....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Pep Guardiola’s men, who could slip down to second ahead of Sunday’s trip to the capital if Spurs beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday lunchtime, will be keen to enter the international break on a high by beating Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea side, who sit 10th in the table and nine points behind the top four.
Ahead of the enticing contest at Stamford Bridge, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the head-to-head record between the clubs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Matches: 174Chelsea wins: 71Draws: 40Manchester City wins: 63
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One hundred and 16 years have passed since Chelsea and Man City locked horns for the very first time, playing out a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge which is one of 40 stalemates between the two teams over the years.
Chelsea marginally lead the overall head-to-head record between the two clubs, as they have won a total of 71 times against the Citizens, who themselves have picked up 63 victories versus the Blues.
In the Premier League era (since 1992-93), Chelsea have bested Man City on 27 occasions across 52 meetings, losing 18 games and drawing just seven, but the Citizens have come out on top in five of their eight FA Cup meetings with the West Londoners and have also won three out of four EFL Cup encounters, including one via a penalty shootout in the 2019 final.
Arguably the most high-profile showdown between these two clubs took place in Istanbul in May 2021 when a first-half goal from Kai Havertz helped Chelsea claim a slender 1-0 win over Man City in the final of the Champions League, a competition the Citizens eventually won for the first time in their history last season to complete a famous treble.
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Chelsea largely dominated this fixture with Man City in the first half of the Premier League era, winning 18 matches out of 24 and scoring 45 goals in the process – their longest-ever winning run against the Citizens was an eight-game streak between December 2005 and March 2009.
However, the tables have gradually turned in City’s favour in recent memory, as they have won 16 and drawn three of their last 28 top-flight clashes with Chelsea, scoring 42 goals during this period, while the Blues have won the remaining nine fixtures.
Since Chelsea’s aforementioned Champions League triumph over Man City over two years ago, the West Londoners have lost each of their last six encounters with the Citizens across all competitions by an aggregate score of 10-0, suffering 1-0 defeats in each of their last four Premier League meetings during this run.
Last season, former Man City winger Riyad Mahrez scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in January, while Julian Alvarez was set up by Cole Palmer – who swapped City for Chelsea in the summer – to score the match-winner in another narrow win by the same scoreline at the Etihad Stadium in May, the most recent meeting between the two clubs.
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Interestingly, Pochettino has faced Man City (20) more than any other opponent in his managerial career, while Guardiola has only encountered Arsenal (29) on more occasions than Chelsea (25) in his coaching career.
Guardiola – formerly of Barcelona and Bayern Munich – has won 14, drawn three and lost eight of his 25 meetings versus the Blues, including 13 wins and seven losses as Man City boss over the last seven years, while Pochettino has won six, drawn three and lost 11 of his 20 meetings with the Citizens during his time in charge of former clubs Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham and Southampton.
Man City legend Sergio Aguero is the all-time leading scorer in this fixture with 13 goals in 21 matches, including two memorable Premier League hat-tricks – his first in a 3-0 away win in April 2016 and his second in a thumping 6-0 home victory in October 2019.
Frank Lampard, who represented both Chelsea and Man City, is next on the list with eight goals, including seven for the former, while ex-Blues forward Jimmy Greaves and former Citizens duo Carlos Tevez and Francis Lee all netted six times.
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Arsenal have been closely monitoring Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres ahead of a possible approach, according to Portuguese publication Record (page 14).
The Sweden international had a good stint in the Championship with Coventry City last term. He registered 22 goals and 12 assists from 50 appearances.
He was linked with a potential switch to the Premier League over the summer, but Sporting eventually won the race to sign him for €20 million plus add-ons.
It is now reported that the Gunners have scouted him more than once this campaign and they are now considering the possibility of landing his signature.
However, Sporting are quite clear that they don’t want to lose him in January unless any club is willing to trigger the hefty €100m release clause in his contract.
Arsenal linked with surprise move for Gyokeres
The 25-year-old was linked with a Premier League switch last summer after Coventry missed out on top-flight promotion to Luton Town via the play-offs.
West Ham United were the most interested English club in the Swede, but he chose to make the move to Sporting, who are currently top of the Primeira Liga.
Gyokeres has been pivotal for the club with 15 goals and seven assists from just 17 appearances and we are not surprised that Arsenal are monitoring him.
The Gunners already hold an interest in his teammate Ousmane Diomande, but any deal could be delayed until the summer with Sporting unwilling to negotiate in January.
A move for Diomande seems justifiable with his huge potential as a 19-year-old centre-back, but we believe there are better strikers that Arsenal could pursue over Gyokeres.
Gyokeres would be a good acquisition for a mid-table Premier League side, but the Gunners should aim higher and recruit someone like Victor Osimhen if they want to win titles.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
AC Milan are reportedly set to step up their efforts to sign Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwior and are ready to open discussions over a possible move for the player in January....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
AC Milan are reportedly set to step up their efforts to sign defender Jakub Kiwior and are ready to open discussions with Arsenal over a possible move for the player in the January transfer window.
The 23-year-old arrived from Italian outfit Spezia in the last window but has not been able to nail down a regular starting role under Mikel Arteta during his time in North London.
Kiwior has made only five starts in all competitions over the last 11 months, with two of those coming in the Carabao Cup.
According to 90min, Kiwior is keen to play more regularly, and The Gunners are open to granting the defender a loan to move away from the Emirates Stadium in January.
The report adds that with the possibility of the defender becoming available in the New Year, AC Milan have emerged as one of the frontrunners to secure the 23-year-old’s services and are preparing to open discussion with Arsenal over a potential move.
It is understood that the Rossoneri are keen on a loan move for Kiwior, with the option to purchase him outright next summer.
The Serie A giants are also believed to be happy to agree with an obligation to buy the player next summer if it will help get the deal done.
AC Milan are expected to be active in the upcoming transfer market as they try to bolster their defensive line, with the likes of centre-backs Malick Thiaw and Pierre Kalulu currently sidelined through injury.
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Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Serie A clash between Inter Milan and Udinese, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
After disposing of last season’s Scudetto winners, Inter Milan will continue their quest for this term’s Serie A title on Saturday, when they host Udinese.
Having crushed Napoli down south, Inter return to their San Siro stronghold topping the table by two points from old foes Juventus; meanwhile, the visitors are Italy’s draw specialists....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Match preview
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Already most pundits’ favourites for the Scudetto, Inter rubber-stamped their status as the team to beat last weekend, as they dismantled reigning champions Napoli in their own backyard, with a little help from Hakan Calhanoglu’s stunning opener just before half time.
After the Turkey international struck sweetly to become the first Inter midfielder with more than five goals at this stage of a Serie A season since Lothar Matthaus in 1990, Simone Inzaghi’s side seized the momentum, and further finishes from Nicolo Barella and Marcus Thuram secured a superb 3-0 success at Stadio Maradona.
As a result, they moved back to the top of the Serie A standings, leaving Napoli 11 points behind – arch-rivals Milan trail by six.
Now boasting a goal difference of +26 (33 scored and just seven conceded) – equalling the club’s best record after 14 games, set some 90 years ago – the Nerazzurri have proved themselves a well-oiled machine that could take some stopping in Italy and beyond.
Indeed, Inter captain Lautaro Martinez (13 goals) has scored more times in Serie A this season than Saturday’s opponents Udinese (12), and his side have still lost just once in all competitions, having also confirmed their place in the Champions League’s last 16.
With a win this weekend, the second-city club would reach 38 points after their first 15 matches for just the fourth time this century, and recent history suggests that victory is theirs for the taking: Inter have lost only one of their last 11 league meetings with Udinese, winning each of the last five at San Siro.
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Udinese’s lone win during that sequence did come as recently as last season, when they triumphed 3-1 on home turf, but the Fruilani are up against the odds on this occasion – not only due to their hosts’ might, but also because of their own failings.
Last week, Gabriele Cioffi’s side let victory slip through their fingers, as they led 2-0 and then 3-2 against lowly Hellas Verona but still contrived to miss out on maximum points once again.
Substitute striker Lorenzo Lucca left the bench after seven minutes and bagged a brace for the Bianconeri, but conceding deep into stoppage time left them with just one Serie A win all season.
A meagre total of 12 points from their first 14 games means Udinese have recorded their lowest tally at this stage of a season since 1994, and a relegation battle could be in prospect if they cannot hold on to such leads more frequently.
Since Cioffi replaced Andrea Sottil in the dugout, his team have at least edged their way out of the drop zone, but they still await a first league victory in Udine this season, having also drawn no fewer than nine times home and away.
Inter Milan Serie A form:
Inter Milan form (all competitions):
Udinese Serie A form:
Udinese form (all competitions):
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Team News
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Inter’s fitness woes deepened last time out, as injuries to Dutch duo Stefan de Vrij and Denzel Dumfries left Simone Inzaghi somewhat short-handed at the back.
Carlos Augusto was required to deputise in the back three at Stadio Maradona, as Benjamin Pavard (knee) is still out of action. The latter’s defensive colleague Alessandro Bastoni (calf) should return to the squad, though, after missing each of Inter’s three games since last month’s international break.
Starting up front, summer signing Marcus Thuram has been directly involved in 11 Serie A strikes already this season (five goals and six assists) – the most of any new Nerazzurri player since Champions League hero Diego Milito recorded 13 in his first 15 appearances back in 2009.
A brace against Verona last Sunday took Lorenzo Lucca on to four league goals this term, so the ex-Ajax striker is set to start for Udinese in Milan; fellow forwards Florian Thauvin and Isaac Success should overcome minor injuries to feature on the bench.
Slovenian centre-back Jaka Bijol has been ruled out until January after having surgery on a foot fracture, while long-term absentees Gerard Deulofeu, Enzo Ebosse and Brenner remain unavailable too.
Meanwhile, in midfield, captain Roberto Pereyra plays a more advanced role, and Serbia international Lazar Samardzic comes up against the club he was within a whisker of joining earlier this year.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:Sommer; Darmian, Acerbi, Augusto; Cuadrado, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Udinese possible starting lineup:Silvestri; Ferreira, Kabasele, Perez; Ebosele, Samardzic, Walace, Payero, Zemura; Pereyra; Lucca
We say: Inter Milan 2-0 Udinese
With defensive injuries mounting up, Inter boss Simone Inzaghi will be keen to take care of business against Serie A strugglers Udinese without taking too much of a toll on his squad. The Nerazzurri can take a stranglehold of the game by scoring at least once in the first half, then cruise towards win number 12 of their league campaign.For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data
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