English Premier League leader Chelsea should be given its toughest test yet this season when it visits big-spending Manchester City today, three days after both teams were knocked out of the League Cup.
The reigning champion has won its opening five games, scoring 21 goals in the process, to take an early four-point lead over Arsenal and Manchester United.
City, which spent more than £120 million in the latest transfer window, is fourth - three points further back - and will want to show Chelsea it is a realistic title contender this season by beating the Blues at Eastlands in the day’s early kickoff.
Neither team will be too concerned about being eliminated from England’s second-tier cup competition at the third-round stage - both played largely reserve sides and are more concerned with progress in the Premier League, FA Cup and Europe.
City lost 2-1 at West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea were beaten 4-3 at home to Newcastle in two all-Premier League matches.
Like Mancini, Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said he had no regrets about resting the majority of his first-team regulars for the League Cup, preferring to keep them fresh for a match that could end with the Blues being 10 points ahead of City after just six games.
‘This cup is not our priority - we have a very important game on the weekend and I wanted to rest some players,” said Ancelotti, who saw three players - Gael Kakuta, Yossi Benayoun and Salomon Kalou - sustain injuries against Newcastle.
City, which showed its credentials by thrashing Liverpool 3-0 at home in its first home match of the campaign, did the double over Chelsea last season, winning 2-1 at Eastlands and 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea has so far played teams expected to finish in the bottom half of the table but faces a tough run of matches, with Arsenal at home and Aston Villa away to come after this weekend.
City has been strong defensively, conceding only two league goals this campaign, but Chelsea has been in free-scoring mood from the opening match.
“If I was a defender playing against Chelsea, I would be very scared because you don’t know where we’re going to come from,” said Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel. “It is hard to know what to expect when we have all these players bombing forward all the time.”
Second-place Arsenal will have one eye on the City-Chelsea match as it prepares for its home game against West Brom later today.
Arsene Wenger’s side recovered from the disappointment of conceding a late goal in the 1-1 draw at Sunderland last weekend by beating fierce north London rival Tottenham 4-1 in the League Cup on Tuesday.
Arsenal will be without captain Cesc Fabregas, who has been ruled out for the next two weeks with a hamstring injury sustained against Sunderland.
The Spain midfielder joins a long injury list that also includes England players Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott, Netherlands striker Robin van Persie and Denmark’s Nicklas Bendtner. Defender Thomas Vermaelen (achilles) remains out and Tomas Rosicky is a doubt with an ankle injury.
Third-place United visits Bolton tomorrow, buoyed by a 3-2 victory over rival Liverpool last Sunday and a 5-2 midweek cup win over Scunthorpe.
At the other end of the table, fifth-bottom Liverpool’s season went from bad to worse when it was upset at home by fourth-tier Northampton in the League Cup, piling more pressure on manager Roy Hodgson.
The 18-time champions have had a tough set of matches to open up the league season and will be hoping for some respite with today’s home game against Sunderland followed by matches at Anfield against Blackpool and Blackburn.
Elsewhere today, bottom side West Ham hosts Tottenham, second-bottom Everton visits Fulham, Birmingham is at home to Wigan and Blackpool hosts Blackburn.
Tomorrow, Wolves hosts Aston Villa and Stoke visits Newcastle.