Chelsea fans’ preferred lineup against Manchester City: Let’s just try to have some fun

Story byDavid PasztorSun, January 4, 2026 at 11:28 AM UTC·1 min readThere’s now a better than 50 per cent chance that we’re going to have snow during tonight’s match, so if nothing else, we get to have some fun, right? It’s a free hit for the Blues, with no manager and no expectations of a result against title contenders Manchester City. The remit for interim head coach Calum McFarlane may be to play the sporting directors’ favorites. Might they include both Cole Palmer and Estêvão and João Pedro, as they do for the WAGNH Community?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJoining that trio in attack is Pedro Neto, while in midfield, it’s Andrey Santos deputizing for the suspended Moisés Caicedo. It’s a bit less fun at the back with the uncertain status of both nominal left backs on the team, Marc Cucurella and Jorrel Hato.