Manchester City face off against Chelsea on Saturday with this game expected to have significant repercussions on the title race. City are just one point behind league leaders Chelsea and will go on top with all three points against the Blues. Antonio Conte has changed the mood around Stamford Bridge since his arrival, and after a relatively slow start, Conte's men are at the summit of the Premier League after shifting to his favoured 3-4-3 formation.
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City and Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, have looked inconsistent this season as the former Bayern manager started his stint in England on a high but then lost his way in the middle just to get back to winning ways against Barcelona in Europe.
Chelsea are on the back of four consecutive league victories whereas Manchester City were unbeaten in all competitions in the month of November. Let's take a look at the combined lineup from the two title contenders of the 2016-17 season:
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
The Belgian has regained his lost mojo and is looking confident with each passing game. The goal that Chelsea conceded in their last match against Spurs was the first that Courtois let in after a staggering 900 minutes of league football. Manchester City's Claudio Bravo has looked shaky in possession as he is yet to adjust to the needs of English football. Courtois is an easy choice for the goalkeeper's position in this combined lineup.
Centre back: Cesar Azpilicueta
Azpilicueta has seen a change in his position after Conte arrived and the Spaniard has adjusted well to the demands of being a centre back. Though his role has been lessened as being a fullback involves more running and attacking output whereas Azpilicueta has been stationed at the back this season. He covers the ground well remarkably to shield the defence and is a major reason of Chelsea doing so well defensively this season.
Centre back: Nicolas Otamendi
Otamendi has seen his importance rise under Guardiola as the long term injury to Vincent Kompany resulted in him being the most senior centre back in the squad. He is playing with his ball playing partner in John Stones and has been a calming influence on the youngster. The Argentine is a big match winner as he kept the threat of Zlatan Ibrahimovic really well when the two sides had met. He will have a similar job against Diego Costa on Saturday and will look to improve his season with a resolute showing against the league leaders.
Centre back: David Luiz
Chelsea's deadline day signing was deemed as a panic buy many but the Brazilian in his second stint with the Blues has proved his importance to this Chelsea side. Conte's change to 3-4-3 has benefited him as his ball playing abilities coupled with this strong tackles have seen him establish as one of the first names on the team sheet. Stones misses out with Luiz playing consistently well week in week out with the young Englishman committing few errors on the way.
Left wingback: Marcos Alonso
The former Bolton defender was one of the best players in October as his role on the left flank often goes unnoticed. Alonso also has formed a solid partnership with Eden Hazard on the left wing and his output in the final third has been useful to Chelsea in their rise to the top after 13 games.
Gael Clichy and Aleksandr Kolarov have struggled as Alonso beats City's fullbacks hands down.
Right fullback: Victor Moses
Moses' rise at Chelsea can be said as Conte's first success story of his tenure. After a string of loan spells, the Nigerian found his place playing as a right fullback and has given the role full justice.
The likes of Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna have played decently but Moses has been one of Chelsea's best players and his hard-work has resulted in him winning the player of the month award last month.
Centre midfield : N'golo Kante
The pocket dynamite has settled well in his new team and is carrying the great form that left off in Leicester. The champions have struggled in his absence and are still looking for an alternative to replace the Frenchman. Kante's work rate is second to none as he tends to cover each blade of grass in his every appearance for the club.
Fernando and Gundogan have not played regularly to be in the reckoning as Kante has also formed a formidable partnership with Nemanja Matic.
Centre midfield : Fernandinho
The Brazilian has also played as a centre backs under Guardiola but has been the most effective when played in midfield. Fernandinho has improved his passing this season and looks a more complete player this year for the Citizens. Though Matic has been brilliant for the Blues, Fernandinho gets the nod ahead because of his brilliant understanding of the game and also his ability to dictate the game from the centre of the park.
Attacking midfielder : Kevin De Bruyne
This spot had a direct fight between the two Belgians as both De Bruyne and Eden Hazard has set the league on fire with their dazzling performances. Hazard has a superior record to the City man in terms of goals scored but with Hazard never having scored against City and also scoring just one goal away from home, De Bruyne seems to be a better fit to this team.
De Bruyne has more assists than Hazard and also his passing accuracy along with key passes and chances created are higher than the Chelsea talisman. His performance against United is going to be one of the best individual showings this season and with Hazard always struggling against City, De Bruyne occupies a place in the combined eleven.
Striker : Diego Costa
Costa is the joint top scorer with Aguero but leads the Argentine with producing four assists compared to none from Aguero. The Spaniard has been menacing for opposing defences as his improved fitness and running coupled with his supreme finishing has made him one of the most dangerous player in the league this season. With City struggling in defence, Costa is predicted to run havoc against Guardiola's side.
Striker : Sergio Aguero :
Despite missing few games this season, Aguero is the joint top scorer with Diego Costa and has came back to form with a brace against Burnley at the weekend. The Argentine has improved tactically under Guardiola as his runs and game sense look more sharp than ever. Aguero thrives for big games of this stature and the game against Chelsea is one of the biggest game of this season with both sides eyeing for the huge pride come May.
