PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V MANCHESTER CITY

Our first Monday night fixture of the season will be guaranteed a big worldwide audience as the league leaders come visiting. Club historian Rick Glanvill, club statistician Paul Dutton and former player Clive Walker have a weekend's worth of info ahead of the game…

TALKING POINTS
Tuesday's 3-0 win in the showdown with Valencia puts an impressive gloss on Chelsea's qualification. The Blues won all group stage matches at the Bridge comfortably and are in fact the only side in this season's competition yet to concede at home.

After Spanish giants Barcelona and Real, Chelsea emerged from the first phase with the best goal difference.

It was London 2 Manchester 0 as the success of Chelsea and Arsenal was followed by failure for both north-west clubs. The different responses from the two dropouts was poignant. For Man United and Patrice Evra relegation to the Europa League was 'embarrassing'. Barclays Premier League leaders Man City appeared less concerned, manager Roberto Mancini declaring their remaining European target 'an important trophy.'

By emphatically seeing off Valencia, Chelsea avoided the loss of status, free midweeks and revenue that comes with Uefa's second-tier tournament. Success in the Europa League brings a potential extra two games in the busy spring period. The Thursday-Sunday rhythm also complicates schedules.

United and City's accountants will also be hoping Chelsea and Arsenal do not progress much - the further the London sides go, the greater slice of the hugely lucrative media rights pie they receive.

On top of that, three of last year's four English clubs progressed to the quarter-finals, each earning a €6.3m performance bonus from Uefa. The equivalent payout in the Europa League (requiring two more matches) was just €900,000.

City were expected to do well in their group. That they failed as this was their first appearance in the competition is an excuse of arguable merit. Eight of the starting line-up in Wednesday's win over Bayern had 30 or more Uefa competition appearances under their belts.

When Chelsea first played in the Champions League in 1999/2000 there was less European experience throughout the side but the Blues qualified from the then two group phases and only bowed out in the quarter-finals against Barcelona.

Gianluca Vialli's side had qualified for Europe's elite competition by finishing third in the 1998/99 Premier League. That was one of seven consecutive top six placings for the club before Roman Abramovich's arrival in summer 2003: hardly a 'team from nowhere.'

In fairness the Citizens have had further to travel. Prior to their takeover by Sheikh Mansour in September 2008 Man City had finished eighth, ninth (twice), 14th, 15th and 16th in the league table. Even after his first season they wound up tenth.

The overriding sense is that City were cool about departing the Champions League because the Premier League is the title they covet above all others.

Conversely, what will give the Blues hope is that the Mancunians have twice been undone away from home in the Champions League, at Bayern Munich and Napoli, despite remaining unbeaten in the league. Perhaps André Villas-Boas needs to make this a continental affair.

His Chelsea side are in the best shape all season, defensively. In the last three matches they have been together the 'back six' of Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic, David Luiz, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Oriol Romeu have not conceded a single goal.

Unfortunately, the back line has to be broken up on Monday evening as David Luiz is suspended.

Equally, over the same matches nine goals were scored, seven of them by forward players - a far greater percentage than in preceding matches this season.

Never the less, City's performance so far is immensely impressive. They have scored 48 goals in 14 Premier League matches, an average of 3.4 strikes a game.

Chelsea hold the Premier League record of 103 goals in 2009/10 - the first side to break the century mark. Yet after the same number of games in that season, the Blues had scored 36 goals.

Up-and-down Everton have not beaten Arsenal away since January 1996. With Wolves at Old Trafford the winless streak stretches back to February 1980, but United's low morale is further depleted by key injuries. Resurgent Stoke have a decent record of taking points from visitors Spurs.

Barclays Premier League fixtures
Saturday
Arsenal v Everton 3pm
Bolton v Aston Villa 3pm
Liverpool v QPR 3pm
Manchester United v Wolverhampton 3pm
Norwich v Newcastle 3pm
Swansea v Fulham 3pm
West Brom v Wigan 3pm
Sunday
Sunderland v Blackburn 1.30pm - Sky Sports
Stoke v Tottenham 4pm - Sky Sports
Monday
Chelsea v Manchester City 8pm - Sky Sports

The race for the Premier League Golden Boot
Robin van Persie (Arsenal) 14
Sergio Agüero (Man City) 11
Edin Džeko (Man City) 10
Demba Ba (Newcastle) 9
Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 9
Yakubu (Blackburn) 9
Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea) 7
Emmanuel Adebayor (Tottenham) 7
Mario Balotelli (Man City) 7


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Chelsea v Manchester City