Manchester City and Chelsea meet on Sunday in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Here, Press Association Sport takes a statistical look at the big game. While the match is a cup tie, all statistics relate to this season’s Premier League games.
City back on the goal trail
In league games away from Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have conceded one goal every 6.3 shots faced on average – worse in that regard than any team except Bournemouth.
City’s league-high 17.1 shots per game therefore point to a likely three-goal haul, leaving Maurizio Sarri’s men with it all to do – they are City’s nearest challengers with 15.6 shots per game, but will need to make them count.
Strangely, many of Chelsea’s defensive problems have come from long-range shots – they have conceded once in every 14.8 shots from outside the penalty area, compared to a league average of once every 26.5, and only Cardiff (14.2) have fared worse.
Guardiola’s out-and-out strikers each take shots worth almost a full expected goal per game, with 0.85 xG per 90 for Aguero and 0.82 for Jesus. Mahrez follows on 0.40, level with Chelsea’s main threat Eden Hazard, with Sane (0.33) tucking in just behind Raheem Sterling (0.36).
However, City rank second and Chelsea third in terms of Premier League clean sheets this season. They have 12 and 11 respectively, behind only Liverpool’s 14.
Odds against extra time
Guardiola’s men have gone 19 Premier League games without a draw, the second-longest run in the league behind Tottenham’s remarkable 30 games.
Chelsea have also lost all four away games this season against teams currently in the top seven – 3-1 against Tottenham at Wembley, 2-1 at seventh-placed Wolves, 2-0 at Arsenal and that 6-0 thumping at the Etihad Stadium.
