Chelsea host title-chasing Manchester City in Sunday's Premier League showdown
Chelsea sit sixth in the table with 48 points from 31 matches, four defeats in their last five league outings leaving Rosenior under growing pressure at Stamford Bridge. City are second on 61 points from 30 games, nine behind leaders Arsenal but with a game in hand and the two sides meeting at the Etihad on April 19.
City riding a wave of form
Guardiola's side have not lost in eight matches across all competitions, winning five of those. Their 4-0 demolition of Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4 was the standout result, with Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick to take his season tally to 33 goals across all competitions. Haaland leads the Premier League Golden Boot race with 22 league goals and looks sharper than he has for months.
City also claimed the League Cup in March, beating Arsenal 2-0 at Wembley through a Nico O'Reilly double. Guardiola will want Sunday's trip to west London to keep that momentum rolling ahead of the meeting with Arsenal that could define the title race.
Chelsea searching for answers
It has been a difficult spell for Rosenior. A 7-0 FA Cup win over Port Vale is the only bright spot in a run that includes a heavy defeat at Everton and elimination from the Champions League at the last-16 stage in March. The attack still carries quality through Cole Palmer, but defensively Chelsea have looked fragile and confidence appears low.
Reports suggest Rosenior's position is under internal review, and another poor result on Sunday would only intensify the scrutiny on a coach who arrived from Strasbourg in January on a six-year deal.
City have dominated this fixture
Manchester City have had the better of Chelsea in recent seasons and will arrive at Stamford Bridge as clear favourites. Chelsea's recent form offers little reason for optimism against a side that has barely put a foot wrong since February.
The stakes go beyond the result for both clubs. Liverpool play Fulham at Anfield on Saturday evening, and if Arne Slot's side win, Chelsea could fall further behind in the race for a top-five finish and Champions League football. For City, three points would cut Arsenal's lead to six with the head-to-head still to come. Sunday is a big afternoon in west London for very different reasons.
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