• Chelsea v Manchester City

AVB in focus as Chelsea face City test

Chelsea powered through in Europe last week. Can they carry that form into the domestic battle? © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Shanghai plan to add Drogba to Anelka
  

Ahead of his side's Premier League clash with Manchester City, Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has been accused of showing a lack of respect by his Newcastle counterpart Alan Pardew.

A full week after his side's loss to Chelsea, Pardew is still seething about the outcome of the game. Chelsea beat Newcastle 3-0 on December 3, but should arguably have had David Luiz sent off when the score was 0-0.

Villas-Boas claimed on Friday that Pardew had blown the incident up out of proportion, comments which have angered the Newcastle boss.

"When you have a victory it's nice to be a bit more respectful and a bit more honourable, by just saying: 'We won the game but decisions went our way'," Pardew said. "I think it would be more honourable of him if he'd accepted that Luiz should have got sent off.

"I was a little bit surprised he reacted like that but the guy is new to our country, he's new to our press. I think he's under a bit of pressure and I think maybe he could throw a little bit more respect at it."

Villas-Boas is under pressure domestically, while his City counterpart Roberto Mancini must pick his troops up from their Champions League failure.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich must resist the temptation to wield the axe and a recent run of positive results may see him give his expensive-acquired manager time. The Blues have won three of their last four games 3-0, but all could be considered flattering to various degrees and, while the results ease the pressure and offer them room to find their very best form, finding it is a must if they are to deliver against the league leaders.

City appear to have shaken off a dip in form of their own - in November, they laboured to victory over QPR, lost to Napoli and were fortunate to take a 1-1 draw with Liverpool - and, though they are no longer in the Champions League, they seem to be the season's standard-bearers in the Premier League. This is a real test for Chelsea, and a chance to banish the negative headlines for some time to come: by putting pressure on his opponents while simultaneously fostering a siege mentality, Villas-Boas is doing all he can to find an advantage.

Chelsea player to watch: Daniel Sturridge. Didier Drogba showed signs he was back to his best in midweek, and if he can maintain that form then Chelsea's concerns should all but fade away, yet the livewire Sturridge may be the man to watch on Monday. At 22, his development looks to be slightly behind track as a result of limited first-team experience prior to his loan move to Bolton in January, and as a result he still looks wasteful and prone to bad decision-making. Even so, this is a forward bursting with natural ability and the desire to win matches and, against his former club, it would be foolish to dismiss his potential impact.

Manchester City player to watch: Mario Balotelli. Though still endlessly making headlines, Balotelli has this season found that good form on the field significantly lessens the impact of the bad publicity. With seven goals in his last nine league games, and having been rested for all but the final nine minutes of Wednesday's victory over Bayern Munich, Roberto Mancini is likely to rely on his fellow Italian to lead the charge.

Key Battle: Juan Mata v David Silva. These former Valencia stars have adapted superbly well to life in the Premier League and may even be considered the key men for their respective clubs. With Mata having contributed seven assists in his last nine league games and Silva leading the assist charts with eight for the season, their ability to supply the forwards will have a major effect on Monday night. Mata has already heaped misery on his former Valencia colleagues this week and will hope his friend at City suffers the same fate on Monday.

Trivia: During Jose Mourinho's first season - when Andre Villas-Boas was part of the backroom team - Chelsea's only loss came in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City. The scorer of that penalty on October 16, 2004, was Nicolas Anelka, then of City and now in exile at Chelsea.

Stats: Although Manchester City have scored 24 goals in their seven away games in the league this season, Chelsea can take heart from the fact City have scored in only one of their last nine games at Stamford Bridge.

Odds: Chelsea (6/4), Manchester City (9/5) and the draw (12/5) are on offer with bet365 while Mario Balotelli is available at 7/1 as first goal-scorer.

Prediction: While Villas-Boas' men have not yet matched the standards of the Chelsea of old, there are encouraging signs that his new side are starting to find some cohesion. They are installed as favourites with bet365, but a draw is perhaps the more likely option.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.