Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been ruled out of Saturday's top-of-the-table contest with Manchester City after receiving a three-match ban by The Football Association, while creator-in-chief Cesc Fabregas is in doubt.

Costa was charged with violent conduct for an apparent stamp on Emre Can during Chelsea's Capital One Cup semi-final win over Liverpool on Tuesday, a charge wihich the Spain forward denied, and on Friday The FA announced that the case against him was found proven.

The 26-year-old will also miss the forthcoming BPL matches against Aston Villa and Everton.

Blues midfielder Fabregas is also a doubt for the Man City fixture after limping out of the Liverpool match with a hamstring injury.

Chelsea sit five points above City at the Barclays Premier League summit, with the champions having drawn at Everton and lost to Arsenal after pulling level with Jose Mourinho's side with a strong run of festive results.

The late kick-off at Stamford Bridge provides City's first chance to respond to last weekend's FA Cup elimination at the hands of Championship side Middlesbrough, with Chelsea also rebuilding confidence after a stunning 4-2 defeat by Bradford City.

Manuel Pellegrini has his own star striker, Sergio Aguero, fit and firing after a knee injury, although Frank Lampard's return to Stamford Bridge is another talking-point. Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer joined City in in the summer and scored City's equaliser in September's 1-1 draw between the sides at the Etihad Stadium.

Lampard was regardless handed a warm reception by Chelsea's fans that day, with another generous welcome expected on his return to west London – which could come from the start in City's midfield.

Any hopes Pellegrini may have held of having Yaya Toure back in his midfield were dashed on Wednesday by Ivory Coast's progression in the Africa Cup of Nations, but the City manager is philosophical about the midfielder's absence.

"It is up to other players to demonstrate what they can do," he said on Friday. "Yaya is a very important player for us but I was not decided if he was eliminated from the African Cup to come and play here two days after because I do not think it is the correct way to do it.

"We played without Yaya in Rome and qualified and against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. So he is a very important player. The same for Diego Costa but I don't think they decide that both teams depend on just those players."

However, Samir Nasri could return to the bench following a calf injury while City centre-back Eliaquim Mangala also faces a fitness test after picking up a shoulder problem. Winger Scot Sinclair, meanwhile, is no longer at the club after completing a loan move to Aston Villa on Friday.

Mourinho, meanwhile, also has concerns in his defence with Filipe Luis (calf) and match-winner Branislav Ivanovic (foot) sustaining injuries in midweek.

Chelsea (from): Blackman, Cech, Courtois, Ake, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Christensen, Filipe, Ivanovic, Terry, Zouma, Fabregas, Hazard, Matic, Mikel, Oscar, Ramires, Salah, Willian, Drogba, Remy, Schurrle, Solanke.

Manchester City (from): Caballero, Hart, Wright, Boyata, Clichy, Demichelis, Kolarov, Kompany, Mangala, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Fernando, Lampard, Milner, Navas, Nasri, Silva, Aguero, Dzeko, Jovetic.
http://m.premierleague.com/en-gb/matches/2014-2015/epl.summary.html/chelsea-vs-man-city

Chelsea 5 0 Man City

major466:
Chelsea 5 0 Man City

Bros I like your spirit

chelseabmw:


Bros I like your spirit

The title belong to Chelsea whether Man City likes it or not.

[size=30pt]No Yaya, no city[/size]

Any footballbet website. sure perming

#both teams to score - carry me
#1x - carry me
#10mins draw - carry me
#most scoring half - 2nd half
#first team to score - 1

not less than 4.5 odds

Come on chelsea. Come royal blu, Come blus army Go 4 d 3points. Make it a blu day #ktbffh.

Pamcode Na 31st

keandre:
Pamcode Na 31st

thanks bro i will correct it asap

Match Appointments
Referee: Mark Clattenburg Assistants: S Beck,
J Collin Fourth Official: J Moss
Match Facts
Chelsea have won four and lost two of their
last eight Barclays Premier League matches
against Manchester City.
No team has beaten Man City more often in
the Barclays Premier League than Chelsea
(22 victories, same as Arsenal).
Chelsea have won 11 and lost one of the last
16 Barclays Premier League home matches
against City.
Sixty-four percent of the goals Manchester
City have conceded have come in the second
half, the highest proportion in the top flight.

Tough game. Will be a tight affair but Chelsea will narrowly edge this one.

Prediction:

Chelsea 1-0 Man City

WHERE ARE MY CO-CITY FANS?
Click like if you want Man city to win this match.

You moderators has started your bias
tactics..Why is Liverpool thread not on front
page.. Who is Manchester united to Liverpool.
Is arsenal better than Liverpool in terms of
trophy ?

Chelsea 1-1 Man city

Might be a close game!

Op the time is 6:30pm!

Chelsea 2:1 Manchester city.
Quote me after the match

It hurts me that Costa isn't available for this match...
My prediction CHE 3 vs 1 MANCITY..
#cfc all the way..
IamBOWALEY

#Teamchelsea 2 vs 0 manshitty

Pdizzle:
It's 6:30 Nigerian time

Pamcode think say na BST

Team FPL goals

Silva
Hazard
clichy

Election is gonna be smooth

Chelsea 2 : 1 Man city

Costa!!! Why?

A near easy win for Chelsea it's going to be.

keandre:
Pamcode think say na BST

what bst if i may i ask pardon my ignorance

Man C,chelsea a tesoju yin laleyi efe ku laleyii.

Chelsea isn't a hooligans

chelseabmw:
Chelsea Oye

Oyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

#KTBFFH #CFC #ChelseaFc #Since1905 #Can'twait #TopOfTheTable #TeamPriceless #TeamGEJtill2019 #TeamStamfordbridge #No1

Another clean sheet today

Prediction Chelsea 2 - 0 Mancity

Hazard n Oscar for the goals

Lol, you design your write up than this some days ago, after 4-2 you vanished from nairaland. Who? Its #SAI_Bradford_City