City Fuming Over FA Cup Chelsea Clash Shuffle

Slaven Bilic has backed Manchester City to win the Premier League title for outgoing manager Manuel Pellegrini.

Pellegrini’s immediate concern is Saturday’s encounter at the Etihad Stadium where his side can overhaul surprise challengers Leicester at the Premier League summit.

Claudio Ranieri’s outsiders are now starting to be regarded as genuine title contenders and their meeting with City is being eagerly anticipated, but Pellegrini points out it is not a decisive match.

“It’s not the biggest game of the season so far we can win or lose this game and the Premier League will not end here”, added the Chilean, whose side are still in all four competitions they entered.

City will play four games in that period, three of them away from home. There are still a lot of points.

“For me it is the best season because we have such a small difference between one team and another that every game is a final”. “If you have the commitment of the players as a manager, that’s the most important thing”.

While all eyes on the field will be on Aguero and Vardy, Pellegrini must decide whether another exciting forward, Nigerian youngster Kelechi Iheanacho, keeps his place after an FA Cup hat-trick at Aston Villa last week and a rare start against Sunderland. “I always told the players that we must believe in what we are doing because the results are there to prove it”, he said. That goal ultimately won Leicester the game.

Various reports suggested Man United knew that City was Guardiola’s destination and they have been proved right.

“Maybe Leicester are not a team with a lot of possession but they defend very well with a lot of concentration and they counter-attack with a lot of speed”.

While it would be unreasonable to think that Monday’s announcement could derail City’s title bid, there are more reasons to believe it will actually boost their chances of winning the championship.

“I hope we can win to close the gap and continue fighting”.

Pellegrini, aware that City are due to face Liverpool in the League Cup final at Wembley the following weekend, made it clear he is willing to sacrifice the FA Cup by sending out a young team against Chelsea to spare his stars the draining effects of travel and fatigue in such a critical week.

But the FA and the BBC, who will show the match live, decided Sunday 21 was the only possible date to stage the tie.