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The EPL’s Super Bowl: Chelsea vs Manchester City

By Jimmy Lee

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If the Premier League had a Super Bowl it would also be this weekend. Chelsea vs Manchester City – the two clear front-runners for the EPL title.

This Saturday at Stamford Bridge, the two English powerhouses will face off in what may be a deciding factor in the championship race. If Chelsea gets the victory at home, their lead will balloon to eight points for a second time this season.

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    • No matter the result, City will remain in second place in the table but a win could pull them back to just two points, while a loss could put them just two points ahead of Southampton in third.

    Both teams are coming off inexplicable losses in the FA Cup at home to lower level clubs. In an FA Cup weekend that could only be described as March Madness-esque, the top four teams in the EPL all failed to win. But Chelsea and City losing at home were the two biggest shocks of all.

    Now they meet for the second time this season, and as Bill Walton would say, “The fate of the known world lies in the balance.” When we look back on this season, there is a good chance that we will reflect on this match as a turning point. If Chelsea wins and extends their lead to eight points, even though City already overcame an eight point deficit once, it’s over for the Cityzens; they won’t comeback a second time.

    But if City is able to go into the Bridge and pull off the shocker, then the fans will start to believe once again. This may be the spark they need to get things going again after a rough month of January.

    Let’s take a look at three questions I have which may impact the result on Saturday in West London.

    Which side will win the midfield battle?

    Without Yaya Toure, Manchester City has not won a match since April. They drew against Everton and lost to Arsenal and Middlesbrough while Toure has been at the African Cup of Nations. City has looked lost and confused without Toure and will need someone to step up if they hope to retain possession in the midfield.

    City’s success is based on their midfield play linking up with their strikers. If they can’t win the midfield, their hope of winning the match is dim. If City once again relies on trying to cross the ball into the box like they did against Arsenal, then we can give the three points to Chelsea already.

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    Chelsea’s midfield is a perfect mix of possession hogs and playmakers. They don’t give up possession easily and when they do, they track back and win it back. They also have Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Namanja Matic who are three of the best playmakers in the Premier League.

    Without Toure, City must hope for a better effort from their midfield. If the same Jesus Navas shows up against Chelsea that played against Arsenal, City may not get a single shot on goal. Which leads me to my second question.

    Where will the goals come from?

    It was announced Friday that Diego Costa has received a three match ban for stamping on two separate Liverpool players in the Capital One Cup match on Tuesday. With Costa on the bench, who will step up for the Blues?

    City will have a “fit” Sergio Aguero for the match, but since his return from injury, Aguero has looked nothing like the man who was on pace to break the EPL goal scoring record. While Aguero has been absent, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic have given little hope to the City fans that they can step in and come up with a big goal.

    The goals in this match will likely be created and scored by the midfield, which brings me back to my first question. The team that wins the midfield will be the team that wins this match.

    So who will win?

    Come on. Chelsea is the best team in the EPL. City put up a fight, but we all know Chelsea are the champions. With this match they will officially take the crown from Manchester City and even though they can’t wear the crown until May, they will have one and a half hands on it after Saturday.

    Chelsea wins 3-0.

    On another note, here is my Super Bowl pick: Seattle 31 – New England 14. Go Hawks!!!

    Next: How can you prove you’re the biggest EPL fan?

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