The Blues will be trying to repeat our recent FA Cup and Premier League successes against the newly-crowned English champions, but know the task will undoubtedly be tougher with Man City certain to be at full strength.

How can Chelsea pick holes in a team many regard as the best in Europe?

Breaching the high line

Pep Guardiola likes his defence to play high up the pitch, and that was an area the Blues exploited in the two recent encounters.

Timo Werner was a notable beneficiary in the FA Cup semi-final, twice using his speed to run behind and set up Hakim Ziyech to score. The first goal was disallowed, but the second stood and settled the contest.

At the Etihad earlier this month, City’s defence remained high. On one occasion in the first half Werner latched on to a long ball before Ederson but was forced wide. After the break, the speed and energy of Reece James, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and sub Callum Hudson-Odoi running beyond helped change the game’s momentum, and it was a Werner dart into space that enabled him to set up Marcos Alonso’s winning goal.

Channelling space

Werner likes to run between the full-back and centre-back, occupying both, and Thomas Tuchel will be hoping Mason Mount can profit from that if he is deployed in a wide forward position.

In our run to the Champions League final, Mount has relished drifting off the touchlines into pockets of space between the lines. It was a similar story at Wembley where he was instrumental in dragging City players out of position, and if he and Werner can keep the likes of Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias busy, other players, perhaps Ziyech or Pulisic, could benefit.

Possession pays

Both teams will want the ball. Arguably City keep it better than anyone else in Europe, but what was impressive about our victory at Wembley was the manner in which we retained possession early on, setting the tone for the success.

In the opening half-hour we had nearly 60 per cent of the ball, and it was a similar story at the beginning of the second period. Once again we upped the ante, enjoying a 67 per cent share of possession in the first 15 minutes after play restarted. It was in that time Werner set up Ziyech’s goal.

City will try to press our double pivot, partly to stop us keeping the ball as effectively, and also to force turnovers high up the pitch.

That is a trademark of theirs but something they didn’t manage as effectively as usual in the recent games against us. In both we achieved more turnovers than them.

City overlaps

Benjamin Mendy featured at left-back against us recently, but Oleksandr Zinchenko is set to start there tomorrow and his threat must be managed.

The Ukrainian’s overlapping runs down City’s left have been a notable feature of their run to the final. As well as enabling him to threaten high up the pitch, that movement also creates space for Phil Foden to operate in.

Like our own young England star Mount, Foden’s form in the Champions League knockout stages has been outstanding, and stopping him carrying the ball at speed will go a long way to stopping City.

With this in mind, Tuchel will no doubt think very carefully about who he deploys at right wing-back, and who on the right side of the back three. Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta have switched positions in our three most recent games, while the return to fitness of Andreas Christensen gives Tuchel another option on that side.

Our wing-backs will be trying to pin City’s full-backs in their own half, as well as strengthening our midfield where Guardiola likes to overload players in their fluid 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 shape.

Whatever happens, it’s set to be a fascinating tactical battle between two of the very best coaches in the world.