Manchester City stumbled at Stamford Bridge last week as their unbeaten run of 15 games in the Premier League came to an end.
The Citizens find themselves 2nd in the standings for the first time this season and the onus will be on Pep Guardiola’s men to get back to winning ways when they play host to Everton at home on Saturday.
The Citizens saw off Hoffenheim 2-1 in the final game of the UEFA Champions League group stages and they will be the favourites to claim all three points against Marco Silva’s men at the weekend.
Pep Guardiola will be expected to make quite a few changes to the eleven that played in the Champions League but he has plenty of injuries to contend with. John Stones suffered a knee injury on Wednesday night and is doubtful to feature at the weekend while David Silva (thigh) and Kevin de Bruyne (knee) are unlikely to play a part against Everton.
Danilo is also set to miss the weekend clash while Sergio Aguero might be pushing for a return. Eliaquim Mangala and Claudio Bravo are long-term absentees.
The Brazilian has been in good form in recent weeks and has always been a reliable presence at the back.
The English international came off the bench in the Champions League tie but he will be expected to start at the weekend.
The Frenchman has established himself as a regular under Pep Guardiola and has impressed with his solid displays at the back.
He did well in the Champions League game and should start against Everton if John Stones doesn’t make it.
The Ukrainian international played his part reasonably well against Hoffenheim and should get another start on Saturday ahead of Fabian Delph.
He is the heartbeat of City’s midfield and the veteran should be fresh to start on Saturday after being rested for the Champions League fixture.
He has always been a livewire in the midfield and the in attacking third for the Citizens this season, working those pockets of spaces and creating chances for his teammates.
The German has had some decent outings in recent weeks and should start in the absence of David Silva.
Raheem Sterling started on Wednesday, which might be an indication that Guardiola will field the Algerian against Everton.
He will be high on confidence after scoring a brace against Hoffenheim and Guardiola should continue to rely on him.
He has struggled for form this season and hasn’t made much of an impact but he is set to get another opportunity in the absence of Sergio Aguero.