Man City vs Chelsea team news and predicted line-ups: Guardiola set to miss key trio due to injury as Palmer given new role

Manchester City and Chelsea are both dealing with a flurry of injury concerns ahead of Saturday's blockbuster showdown.

The Citizens and Blues are at opposite ends of the Premier League's top ten but played out a thrilling 4-4 draw in November.

Pep Guardiola has recently had a clean bill of health to contend with after welcoming back star duo Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.

That has coincided with a run of 11 consecutive wins across all competitions that has left City just two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.

However, City were left to rue the cost of an otherwise routine 3-1 Champions League away win over Copenhagen that saw several key players forced off with injuries.

The news will come as a welcome boost to Chelsea, who scraped back into tenth following a dramatic late 3-1 comeback win over Crystal Palace on Monday.

Mauricio Pochettino has already been juggling an extensive injury crisis at Stamford Bridge ahead of next weekend's Carabao Cup final.

Man City

Guardiola was already without trio Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and Sergio Gomez for the midweek trip to Denmark.

Gvardiol has since been ruled out for a few weeks with an ankle issue, while Gomez was unlikely to play a part against Chelsea anyway.

Former Blues midfielder Kovacic is expected to be back in training this week but the game may come too close for him to start.

Following John Stones' return, Guardiola has a fairly settled backline with the England defender partnering Ruben Dias alongside Three Lions teammate Kyle Walker in front of Ederson.

In Gvardiol's absence, either Manuel Akanji or another ex-Chelsea man Nathan Ake will play at left-back but it was the former who was rested in midweek.

Julian Alvarez was another unused substitute against Copenhagen and is in line for a recall if Guardiola reverts to a 4-1-4-1 formation.

Rodri and De Bruyne are both irreplaceable in central midfield, while Phil Foden has made the right wing his own following recent form with Erling Haaland leading the line.

Both Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva sustained injuries at Parken, with City anxiously awaiting the pair's assessment results.

Grealish lasted just 21 minutes in his first City start since January 7 and won't be handed another straight away even if he's cleared from a lasting groin issue.

The England star was replaced by Jeremy Doku, who should retain his spot on the left pending the results of Silva's ankle injury.

Chelsea

The Blues made just one change in their win over Palace as Thiago Silva came in for Benoit Badiashile.

The latter is already facing a spell on the sidelines after suffering a groin injury against Aston Villa.

However, now Chelsea are also without veteran Silva after he lasted less than an hour of the contest at Selhurst Park with a groin issue.

Levi Colwill, who has struggled this season playing in an unorthodox left-back role in Ben Chilwell's absence, will now get the chance to stake a claim in his favoured position alongside Axel Disasi.

Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and club captain Reece James are both still injured, with Djordje Petrovic maintaining his spot between the sticks and Malo Gusto deputising at right-back.

In midfield, Conor Gallagher, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have established themselves as Pochettino's preferred trio.

However, the Argentine manager will have to rejig his attack with his side not having a single shot until first-half stoppage time against Palace, despite having the lion's share of possession.

Noni Madueke made the mistake leading to the Eagles' opener, was substituted at half-time and now will likely be relegated to the bench.

Cole Palmer, who struggled up front on his own, grabbed two assists when restored to his favoured right-wing spot in the second-half.

Palmer will now offer Christopher Nkunku an option as the Frenchman finally looks to get his Chelsea career kickstarted following several injuries, with Nicolas Jackson in support.