Chelsea predicted line-up vs. Man City: Big call made on £52m forward as left-back dilemma emerges

Chelsea will look to continue their steady climb up the Premier League table on Sunday afternoon, when they take on Man City in a box office clash at Stamford Bridge. The Blues head into the game in high spirits, after securing a 4-1 away win against their fierce rivals Spurs, in a topsy-turvy encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The high-octane encounter saw the hosts reduced to nine-men early in the second half, and Mauricio Pochettino's side eventually grind down their weakened opponents to seal the local bragging right and a precious three points.

Next up, Chelsea continue their gruelling run of fixtures by welcoming Manchester City to Stamford Bridge. The west Londonders have failed to beat Pep Guardiola's side in their last six meetings across all competitions, with their last victory over the Sky Blues coming in the 2021 Champions League Final. As the rejuvenated Blues look to pull off an upset against last season's treble winners, we assess the most likely starting XI Pochettino will field for the eagerly anticipated encounter: Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez looks set to continue between the sticks, with young understudy Dorde Petrovic yet to make an appearance since joining from New England Revolution last summer. There have been rumblings that the Blues could look to invest in another goalkeeper in the not too distant future, with the Sanchez's short distribution ability being highlighted as a real weakness of his play in his early days at the club. Defence Reece James spurned an England call-up earlier in the week, with reports suggesting the Blues skipper was keen not to suffer a further injury setback as he looks to finally get past a series of hamstring problems that have plagued him since last March. His manager has been keen to stress the importance of managing the academy product's minutes conservatively, but the stern test of Man City will surely see the Blues' star right-back named on the team sheet. On the opposite flank, it's a toss up between young prodigy Levi Colwill and Spain international Marc Cucurella. While the latter has improved on an underwhelming first season at the club, Colwill seems more likely to be given the nod on Sunday afternoon, having been Pochettino's preferred pick at left-back so far this season. However, it's worth noting the former Brighton loan star was substituted just a minute into the second half against Spurs, after being booked for scrapping with the opposition deep into added time - losing his cool in the high profile clash could potentially cost him a start against the Citizens.

Having tinkered with his back-line in the early stages of the season, the Blues boss now seems to have settled on his preferred centre-back pairing - veteran warhorse Thiago Silva looks set to be paired alongside Frenchman Axel Disasi, who will be fighting hard to keeping his starting spot once more established options such as Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile eventually return from lengthy injury layoffs. Midfield £222m midfield pair Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez look set to start on Sunday, as the pair continue to find their feet in the heart of Chelsea's midfield. The former was denied a stunning first goal for his new club on Monday evening, with his the ball flying through the legs of his teammate Nicolas Jackson en route to goal, which saw the effort ruled out with the Senegal striker deemed to be offside. Despite being hotly tipped for a move away in the summer, as the Blues looked to balance the books following a monumental spending spree, Conor Gallagher remained in the squad and has impressed Pochettino with his spirited performances so far this season. He looks the most likely to complete the midfield trio Attack Cole Palmer has arguably been Chelsea's signing of the season so far, forcing those who scoffed at his £40m transfer fee to chow down on some well-deserved humble pie. The England U21 star has been brimming with creativity for the Blues, providing both goals and assists. Facing off against his former club is unlikely to faze the cool-headed forward. On the opposite flank, Raheem Sterling looks the most likely candidate to start. Mykhailo Mudryk made another frustrating cameo appearance in his side's win against Spurs, as he somehow failed to use his notoriously rapid pace to punish a side reduced to nine-men while inexplicably continuing to play a line higher than the F♯6 Minnie Riperton once hit in 'Loving You'. Come to 3 Added Minutes for the cutting edge popular culture references, folks. Despite cries for £52m signing Christopher Nkunku to lead the line against City, the former RB Leipzig man's best hopes of featuring are likely to be from the bench, with his manager keen not to exacerbate the injury picked up in pre-season. Nicolas Jackson, who scored perhaps not the most emphatic hat-trick in Premier League history last time out, looks set to start up front again. Full predicted XI Sanchez; James, Silva, Disasi, Colwill; Fernandez, Gallagher, Caicedo; Palmer, Jackson, Sterling.