from: Manchester City Vs Chelsea
What: Premier League
where: Al Ittihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
when: 5:30 pm (17:30 GMT) on Saturday
Follow the live broadcast of Al -Jazeera channel, followed by the flow of text and photo comments of the match.

The next two games for Manchester City, in the Premier League and the Champions League, have been compared to the “finals” of English Champions trapped by their coach Pep Guardiola.

Chelsea arrives at Al -Ittihad Stadium on Saturday with the defending champions City, 12 points behind the league leaders, who also has a match in the chase list.

The Guardiola team, which is ranked fifth by two points behind the Blues, will face a match in which he should win against the Belgian Bruges or Facing the exclusion from the Champions League At the first obstacle.

Guardiola told reporters on Friday: “The two matches are very important, the final are with us. Our people will support us. We are very close to the table [to Chelsea] Even with the big problems we faced in the recent past. ”

What has happened to Man City?

Despite a recent climb up the Premier League table, City are yet to fully emerge from their surprise slump which saw Guardiola’s side register only one win in nine matches in all competitions at one stage.

The 4-2 defeat at Paris St Germain on Wednesday, when they squandered a two-goal lead, has left them one place outside of the Champions League’s playoff places with one game of the league phase remaining. It caps a run of two wins in seven European games.

When pushed on whether City will qualify for next season’s Champions League – which can be achieved by winning this season’s competition or finishing in the top four in the Premier League – Guardiola replied: “We can make it. Why should I think differently? We’re going to make it. I think it is going to happen. I am very very positive.”

Who are Man City’s new January transfer window signings?

In an attempt to reverse the travails of a team that secured an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, City have embarked on a January spending spree in the transfer window. Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush have all been acquired at a cost of more than $150m.

“Vitor is young, he has a huge personality, needs time. If he’s here with us, of course, he can start,” Guardiola said.

“Khusanov has already settled for the fact that he played in the French league, handling tough, quick, fast players. But he doesn’t speak much English so communication will be one of the situations that we have to deal with.

“Marmoush will adapt quick. They will make us strong and I’m pretty sure that the club decided for this prospective players for the future and many years.”

Introducing @ManCity‘s three new signings 🆕

Which player will make the biggest impact for Pep Guardiola’s side? pic.twitter.com/lAXxra2YNU

— Premier League (@premierleague) January 23, 2025

Friends reunited in the dugout as Man City entertain Chelsea

Chelsea are managed by Guardiola’s former assistant Enzo Maresca, who spent a season alongside the Spaniard in 2022-2023.

This isn’t the first meeting between the pair this season, however. City won 2-0 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season thanks to goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic.

The Blues ended a five-game streak without a win in the league, in which they lost twice, by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 in their last outing. The barren run, prior to Monday’s win at Stamford Bridge, dented an incredibly strong start to life in London for Maresca, whose side had unexpectedly become title contenders.

“I recognised his [Maresca’s] “We played with the team from the first day, even when we played with them in the summer camp in the United States,” Guardiola said. “I have started to see many things we talked about many times in recent years. Really good.

Chelsea coach supports Guardiola to return

Meanwhile, Marisca gathered around Guardiola and said that the stalled City coach needs support. “Pep is strong enough in this type of things. Marcica told the media at the Chelsea Training Stadium:” But certainly, like any human being, he needs support at this moment, over the past eight or nine years, they have always been at the top. ” .

Maricca said Chelsea will find it difficult to beat City despite the bad level of his host. “With this club and these players, when they are in a difficult moment, they want to show their quality. I don’t think there is a good moment at all to face the City.”

“It is normal in football to live moments like those they live. Certainly, they will return to win the championships soon.”

Premier League schedule after round 22 👀 pic.twitter.com/sprwfxd21f

– Premier League (@premierleague) January 21, 2025

Can Chelsea, led by Maricca, take the Premier League title from Manchester City?

Maricca has a long history with City, where he worked as a coach in the club before leaving to take over the position of coach in Parma.

After his dismissal from the training of the Italian team, he returned to City to work as an assistant to Guardiola during the team’s victory in the three, and said that he was grateful to the club forever.

“My relationship with Pep and the club is great.” I will always be grateful to Manchester City for the confidence they showed to me, because they called me again after I had an Italian club after two or three months. “

And about whether Chelsea is good enough to consider it a real competitor for the title this season, Marisca replied: “No, not for the title. If you look at December and January, you will find that we are going through a difficult moment.”

Is Chelsea contracting with Garnechu from Manchester United?

The Blues themselves were linked to the contract with Manchester United striker Alejandro Garnechu in the current transfer window, which ends on January 31, and Marisca admitted that he was “always looking for situations.”

But Garnechu’s move in particular was fully rejected: “No, no.” I am happy with the players who have at this moment. “

“We have said several times on the right side, it’s Pedro [Neto] Nun [Madueke] And the left side is serious [Sancho]. Misha [Mudryk] It was with us and now it is not with us. Terrick [George] It is a young personal file that can help us, so at this moment, we are fine.

Chelsea team news

Levi Colwell and Nazo Fernandez are expected to be ready despite their absence from winning over Wolverhampton.

“Romeo Lavia is absent due to an injury that is expected to keep him away from action for a few other weeks.

Man City team news

Robin Dias and Jeremy Duko will be absent from the match. The first was replaced between the two halves in Paris on Wednesday due to a kidnapper injury.

The three new contracts for City: Marmoush, Reese and Josenov are all in the match squad.

Face

This is the 177th meeting in a match dating back to 1907, and ended in a 2-2 draw in West London.

City did not lose 10 games against Chelsea, and won 8 games. The last victory for the Blues was in the Champions League final 1-0 in 2021.

This was crowned with a series of successive victories of the London -based club, which included winning the Premier League away from home and winning the FA Cup at home in that season.

ready? 🫵 pic.twitter.com/sumsgwyflt

– Premier League (@premierleague) January 24, 2025