Manchester City are set to kick off their Premier League title defense with a high-stakes clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend. As the season opener looms, City find themselves facing some significant challenges, with key players like Jack Grealish and Oscar Bobb sidelined due to injuries, and Julian Alvarez having moved to Atletico Madrid. This has left Pep Guardiola’s squad a bit thin in attacking options, making this encounter with Chelsea even more intriguing.
New signing Savinho is expected to step up and make his Premier League debut, joining forces with Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku in the attack. With some players who participated in Euro 2024 possibly being rested, including Rodri, John Stones, and Kyle Walker, City may field a slightly different lineup than usual.
To get a sense of how this crucial match might play out, we turned to EA FC 24 for a simulation. The squads were updated to reflect the latest injuries, suspensions, and transfers, though some details like kit numbers might not be accurate.
In our simulation, Manchester City lined up in a 4-3-3 formation featuring Ederson in goal; a backline of Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, and Josko Gvardiol; a midfield trio of Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne; and an attacking trio of Savinho, Haaland, and Doku.
Chelsea, under the guidance of Enzo Maresca, set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Robert Sanchez in goal; a defense of Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella; a midfield pairing of Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez; and an attacking lineup featuring Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, and Nicolas Jackson.
Despite Chelsea’s home advantage, the simulation showed Manchester City dominating the game, with the Blues struggling to find their rhythm. However, it took some tactical brilliance from Guardiola’s side to break through Chelsea’s defense.
City opened the scoring just 15 minutes into the match. Kevin De Bruyne executed a clever short corner to Bernardo Silva, who dribbled past his marker and delivered a precise pass to former Chelsea man Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian midfielder turned and unleashed a low, driven shot into the bottom corner to give City an early lead.
Chelsea briefly rallied and posed a threat for about ten minutes, but City quickly regained control. The match remained tense until the 90th minute, when Bernardo Silva once again played the role of playmaker, finding Erling Haaland unmarked in the box. The Norwegian striker made no mistake, slotting the ball past Robert Sanchez to secure the win.
The simulation suggests that Manchester City will start their title defense on the right foot, capitalizing on a lackluster Chelsea performance to claim all three points.
