Head-to-head

In all-time meetings with Manchester City in all competitions, Chelsea have four more victories – 71 to 67.

Chelsea’s last Premier League victory against Man City was on 8 May 2021 at the Etihad Stadium (2-1) when Hakim Ziyech and Marcos Alonso scored our goals.

Chelsea are looking to prevent Manchester City extending their club-record unbeaten run against the Blues in all competitions to 12 games (nine wins, two draws). Our last win in any competition against the Citizens was in the Champions League final in Porto on 29 May 2021.

Manchester City are unbeaten in their past eight Premier League games against Chelsea (six wins, two draws), their joint-longest run without defeat against the Blues in their league history (also eight between 1936 and 1949).

Man City have won eight of their last 10 games against Chelsea at the Etihad, drawing in February 2024 and losing the other in the Premier League in May 2021.

Chelsea have kept one clean sheet in our last 22 Premier League meetings with Manchester City, with that coming in a 2-0 home win in December 2018.

Head-to-Head (all competitions)

Played 180
Won 71
Drawn 42
Lost 67

Last five meetings at Etihad Stadium

9 Nov 2022 | League Cup | L 0-2
8 Jan 2023 | FA Cup | L 0-4
21 May 2023 | Premier League | L 0-1
17 Feb 2024 | Premier League | D 1-1 Sterling
25 Jan 2025 | Premier League | L 1-3 Madueke

Biggest win for each team:

Man City 6-0 Chelsea | 2018/19 | Premier League
Chelsea 6-0 Manchester City | 2007/08 | Premier League
Chelsea’s biggest win at Man City - 4-1 in 1932/33 and 1966/67 (both Division One)

Chelsea stats

Chelsea have won one of our last seven Premier League games (four draws, two defeats), having been victorious in five of our previous six. We have drawn our last two away league games - at Bournemouth and Newcastle.

Chelsea have drawn six of our last eight opening Premier League games in a calendar year, with one victory against Fulham in 2024 and one defeat to Manchester City in 2021.

With an average age of 23 years and 157 days against Bournemouth, Chelsea named the youngest starting XI by any side in a Premier League match this season. We have the youngest average starting XI in the competition this season (24 years 198 days).

The Blues have had more possession than our opponents in 18 of our 19 Premier League games this season (vs Arsenal when down to ten men for more than 50 minutes was the exception).

Chelsea have dropped 15 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, matching our total for the entire 2024/25 campaign. Of those 15 dropped points, 13 have come at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have kept four clean sheets in our last six away Premier League matches, losing 3-1 to Leeds United at Elland Road and drawing 2-2 at Newcastle in the other games. We had only kept five clean sheets in our 38 away games beforehand.

Premier League scorers
Joao Pedro 6, Fernandez 5 (1 pen), Neto 5, Caicedo 3, Chalobah 3, Palmer 3 (1 pen), Gusto 2, James 2, Acheampong 1, Estevao 1, Garnacho 1

Premier League assists
James 4, Garnacho 3, Joao Pedro 3, Neto 3, Cucurella 2, Gittens 2, Gusto 2, Caicedo 1, Estevao 1, Fernandez 1, Guiu 1, Sanchez 1

Milestones

If selected, Marc Cucurella will make his 100th Premier League appearance for the club.

Against Bournemouth, Enzo Fernandez scored on his 100th Premier League appearance for Chelsea.

Malo Gusto’s next start will be his 50th in the Premier League.

Manchester City stats

Last season

Premier League: Third
FA Cup: Lost 0-1 to Crystal Palace in the final at Wembley
League Cup: Lost 1-2 at Tottenham in the fourth round
Community Shield: Beat Man Utd on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes
Champions League: Lost 3-6 on aggregate to Real Madrid in the knockout phase play-offs
Club World Cup: Lost 3-4 AET to Al Hilal in the round of 16
Top scorers (all competitions): Erling Haaland 34
Top league scorer: Erling Haaland 22

This season’s Premier League stats

Most minutes played (max 1,710): Haaland 1,646, Dias 1,625, Donnarumma 1,440
Most goals: Haaland 19, Foden 7, Reijnders 4
Most assists: Cherki 7, Doku 4, Haaland 4
Clean sheets: Donnarumma 8, Trafford 1
Most yellow cards: Donnarumma 4, Gonzalez 4, B Silva 4
Red cards: None

On Thursday, Sunderland brought Manchester City's six-match Premier League winning run to an end. They became the first team to prevent City from scoring since Aston Villa managed it on 26 October.

Manchester City have won their last eight Premier League home games, netting three or more goals in seven of those including in the last five in a row.

Only Arsenal (28) have won more points at home this season than Manchester City (24).

Man City are the Premier League’s leading scorers with 43, six more than second-highest Arsenal.

Only Arsenal (12) have conceded fewer league goals than City (17).

Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria) and Omar Marmoush (Egypt) are away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Erling Haaland has scored 19 goals in 19 Premier League games for Manchester City this season and 11 goals in eight home games in the competition, netting twice in five different games. He has scored 44 per cent of City’s Premier League goals this term.

Rayan Cherki has been involved in eight goals in his last 10 Premier League appearances for Man City (one goal, seven assists).

Pep Guardiola's managerial record against Chelsea

Won 15
Drawn 7
Lost 8

Last five results

14.12.25 | Crystal Palace (a) PL | W 3-0
17.12.25 | Brentford (h) LC | W 2-0
20.12.25 | West Ham (h) PL | W 3-0
27.12.25 | Nottingham Forest (a) PL | W 2-1
01.01.26 | Sunderland (a) PL | D 0-0

Last Premier League line-up

Thursday 1 January
Sunderland 0-0 Manchester City
Team (4-3-2-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Ake, O’Reilly (Gvardiol 57); B Silva (c) (Reijnders 85), Gonzalez (Rodri h/t), Foden; Cherki, Savinho (Doku 51); Haaland

Yellow card: Ake 77

Discipline

Moises Caicedo is suspended for one match after receiving his fifth yellow card in the Premier League this season against Bournemouth.

From this round of fixtures, five yellow cards will no longer result in a suspension. Players who now accumulate 10 yellow cards in Premier League matches up to and including the 32nd fixture will serve a two-match suspension in the competition.

Chelsea Premier League yellow cards: Caicedo 5, Chalobah 3, Cucurella 3, Estevao 3, Fernandez 3, James 3, Sanchez 3, Santos 3, Badiashile 2, George 2, Hato 2, Joao Pedro 2, Neto 2, Delap 1, W Fofana 1, Garnacho 1, Guiu 1, Gusto 1, Tosin 1.

Match officials

Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth official: Simon Hooper
VAR: Darren England
Assistant VAR: Dan Robathan

Michael Oliver is officiating his third Chelsea match this season, having previously refereed our 5-1 away win at West Ham in August and our goalless draw at Bournemouth in December.