'My gut feeling' - Pundits disagree over whether Man City can bounce back vs Chelsea
Manchester City welcome Chelsea to the Etihad on Saturday evening looking to return to winning ways after Champions League disappointment in midweek.
Pep Guardiola's side blew a two-goal lead at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday evening as they were beaten 4-2 by PSG. Goals from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland weren't enough as PSG hit back through goals from Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos to consign City to a brutal defeat.
It has left City outside of the qualification spots heading into the last league phase matches of the Champions League and anything other than a win over Club Brugge will see them exit Europe. However, their attention must turn back towards the Premier League before that as they welcome fourth placed Chelsea to Eastlands.
READ MORE: Pep Guardiola agrees with Jose Mourinho as he makes stunning Man City Champions League admission
City know a win would lift them above Enzo Maresca's side into the top four of the Premier League table but some prominent pundits are in disagreement over how they will fare. As such, here's a look at how those pundits think City will get on this evening.
Chris Sutton
The former Blackburn and Celtic forward told BBC Sport: "Well, so much for City being 'back' after beating Leicester, West Ham and Ipswich recently.
"What happened against Paris St-Germain was more evidence that they are nowhere near their usual selves. The number of signings they are making is maybe an admission from Pep Guardiola of how much needs to change.
"The pressure is really on City in the Champions League now after Wednesday's defeat in Paris, but they have got some tough games coming up in the Premier League too, starting with this one.
"Saturday is not just a case of Cole Palmer returning to his former club as a potential match-winner, because Chelsea's manager Enzo Maresca is also back on familiar territory.
"This is a huge game in the race for the top four and it feels like anything could happen. I definitely don't see City keeping Chelsea out, but my gut feeling is still that they will win this."
Sutton's prediction: Man City 2-1 Chelsea
Harry Redknapp
The former Tottenham Hotspur manager told BetVictor: "This is a difficult one to call, mainly because I still don’t know what Manchester City to expect.
"I thought they were brilliant at Ipswich and then they go and collapse in Paris. I know Paris Saint-Germain are a top side but that’s so unlike Man City. Obviously, they’ve brought in reinforcements, we’ve just got to wait and see how they settle.
"It was important that Chelsea got back to winning ways on Monday against Wolves, but they had a few defensive issues again. This will be a real test for Enzo Maresca’s team who let’s face it, haven’t been at their best recently. I’m certain we’ll see goals in this.
"Erling Haaland has found his shooting boots in the last few weeks, and he’ll fancy his chances against a Chelsea backline that definitely gives you some."
Redknapp's prediction: Man City 3-1 Chelsea
Paul Merson
The Sky Sports pundit told Sportskeeda: "I told you last week, you cannot get carried away by Manchester City winning 6-0 against Ipswich.
"You saw them against PSG, there is nobody who can win the ball back in that midfield! Ipswich were atrocious that is why they lost that game not because City are back to their best form.
"Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic are all ageing and it was so evident against PSG. City couldn't live with PSG when they started having a go in that second half. Chelsea can do the same in my opinion. If Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson can run at them, I think they will cause City some serious problems. Pep Guardiola's men may not be able to live with that kind of pace and energy.
"City now face a massive challenge to get into the top four this season. They face Arsenal after this game and all the six fixtures starting with Chelsea on Saturday are crucial. If they lose to Chelsea, you can't expect them to beat Arsenal.
"It's not looking good for them in the Champions League either after that loss to PSG. If they can't beat Club Brugge at home next week, they shouldn't even be in Europe.
"This new format is designed to ensure all the big teams progress and they are still struggling in it. Even if you told Celtic you can forget about all the other games and you just need to beat Brugge to go to the next round, they would take it. That just shows where Manchester City are right now."
Merson's prediction: Man City 1-3 Chelsea
Mark Lawrenson
The former BBC Sport pundit told Paddy Power: "Manchester City are at home which should help but they threw it away against Paris St-Germain in the Champions League during the week after being 2-0 up.
"Chelsea are a bit iffy and you still can’t really rely on City but that result in France might give them a kick up the backside."
Lawrenson's prediction: Man City 2-1 Chelsea
