This is something of a crunch game for both sides. City will be very conscious of the fact they need to keep title rivals United within a point or two, as the season enters its final stretch. Chelsea, on the other hand, will have all their attention focused on that final Champions League spot, which Arsenal currently hold.
The match will be available live at vslive.tv in the UK and FOXSoccer.tv in the US.
Chelsea, under interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, have been in surprisingly formidable form over the last few weeks. They have won all four of their previous games, in all competitions. That has made for quite a changed atmosphere in the Blues' dressing room, since the humiliating loss to West Brom and the sack of Andre Villas-Boas. The Blues will go into this game on a high after a confident 5-2 win over Leicester City in the FA Cup and delighted that misfiring striker Fernando Torres scored twice in that game, to end an unseasonably long goal drought.
City, meanwhile, have had a disastrous last couple of weeks. The result of all that has seen a team once seeming to be running away with the Premier League title hauled back and overtaken by defending champions Manchester United. Add to that their dispiriting exit from both the Champions League and the Europa League... and the pressure on Mancini and his team must be rather intense. However, the possible re-entry of forward Carlos Tevez could be the pick-me-up the Citizens need to win their first league title in the Premier League era.
Chelsea probable team: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole; Meireles, Mikel; Ramires, Lampard, Sturridge; Drogba
Manchester City probable team: Hart; Richards, Savic, K Toure, Clichy; Silva, Y Toure, De Jong, Nasri, Tevez (doubtful); Balotelli
