Gonzalo Higuain will be looking to build on his goalscoring start to life at Chelsea when he leads the line against top of the table Manchester City at the Etihad today.
The Argentine scored twice in the win over Huddersfield last weekend, and his arrival at Stamford Bridge has unsurprisingly seen Maurizio Sarri ditch his false nine system, with Eden Hazard reverting to his favoured wing position.
Antonio Rudiger sat out the Huddersfield win but is expected to return alongside David Luiz, who scored in the reverse fixture, a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
The clash is a dress rehearsal for the EFL Cup final, which takes place in two weeks’ time, and Chelsea will be wary of avoiding the same fate suffered by fellow top four rivals Arsenal last weekend.
Sergio Aguero struck a hat-trick in a 3-1 win, and will likely start again here, despite Gabriel Jesus’ goalscoring cameo at Goodison Park on Wednesday night.
Aymeric Laporte also scored in that game, and could deputise at left back again as Benjamin Mendy continues his prolonged return from injury, while Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne should return after starting from the bench against Everton.
Predicted line-ups
Manchester City [4-1-2-3]: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Otamedni, Laporte, Fernandinho, Silva, De Bruyne, Bernado, Sterling, Aguero.
Chelsea [4-3-3]: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Hazard, Willian, Higuain.
