Chelsea - Manchester City (KO: 5.30PM) PREVIEW:
For the past four years, only two clubs from Manchester went on to win the Premier League and the last club that did not come from that area to win the league are the current league leaders themselves Chelsea. While this match might be decisive in terms of the league itself, the fact that the point gap stands, any other slip up from either club could really favour the club that comes up victorious on Saturday afternoon. This match will truly be a great one, even with the absence of star players such as Yaya Touré, Wilfried Bony and Diego Costa from both respective clubs. The incumbent Premier League champions were somewhat fortunate to come away with a point in their previous league meeting against Chelsea, with Chelsea midfielder legend Frank Lampard playing the part of pantomime villain by netting the equaliser at the Etihad Stadium for the Mancucian side after Andre Schurrle took the lead. Both clubs are also looking to get a victory following their shock elimination from the FA Cup at home against Bradford City and Middlesbrough respectively.
Diego Costa will miss the showdown as he starts his three-match suspension for violent conduct. Spanish creative midfielder Cesc Fabregas is out with a hamstring injury, Filipe Luis has a calf injury whilst Branislav Ivanovic has a minor foot injury. All of the players mentioned are significant doubts to play in the match, after suffering those injuries in Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final victory over Liverpool, in which Costa was adjudged to have stamped on Emre Can. Gary Cahill is expected to be a substitute once more, with Kurt Zouma continuing in defence, while Schurrle and Mohamed Salah are likely to miss out as reports intensify of imminent moves to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg and Serie A club Fiorentina in exchange for Colombian winger Juan Cuadrado.
Manchester City's French playmaker Samir Nasri could have a possible chance to feature at some part during the game. The midfielder has missed the last two matches with a calf injury, but has made good progress and will be assessed ahead of the match. His fellow countryman and centre-back Eliaquim Mangala will also have a shoulder problem checked out before the match while midfielder Yaya Touré and £30million pound signing Wilfried Bony (from Swansea) are away at the African Cup of Nations as Ivory Coast have progressed as group winners and will play in the quarter-finals this weekend. With just five points between the two sides, Saturday’s match could either set the Premier League title race alight with more excitement, or open up a bigger gap at the helm of the table. The clash between The Blues and The Citzens has been eagerly-anticipated for weeks, will it live up to expectations though?