After Atletico ambush, Hazard sets sights on City
Eden Hazard says Chelsea will carry the momentum from their superb Champions League win over Atletico Madrid into Saturday's Stamford Bridge showdown with free-scoring Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Having fallen behind to Atletico in Madrid on Wednesday, Chelsea levelled when Hazard teed up Alvaro Morata and snatched a 2-1 victory with the last kick of the game when substitute Michy Batshuayi stabbed home.
City have been in stunning form since the start of the season, but Hazard believes beating Atletico -- Champions League finalists in two of the past four seasons -- shows Chelsea can compete with anyone.
"Since I came here, it's the first time we've beaten a really good, really strong team in the Champions League," Hazard told the Chelsea website.
"We did well, from the first (whistle) to the end of the game. That means we are a good team, we have good players.
"We are very confident, trust me, but Man City are also playing well so it should be a good game. Two great teams, two great managers. We will see."
Hazard, 26, has been eased back into the team by manager Antonio Conte after undergoing ankle surgery and following three substitute appearances in the league, he is expected to return to the starting line-up against City.
The Belgian's return to fitness, and form, is a boon for Conte, whose only gripe after Wednesday's game was that his team have been left with such a relatively short space of time to prepare for Saturday's match.
Whereas the west London club did not return home until the early hours of Thursday morning, City's players have had time to rest up since their 2-0 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.
Even before their win over Atletico, Chelsea had shown signs of returning to last season's title-winning form.
- Test of character -
Their 0-0 draw with Arsenal two weeks ago represented the only points they have dropped since their shock 3-2 defeat at home to Burnley on the season's opening weekend.
Morata netted a hat-trick in last weekend's 4-0 success at Stoke City and his goal against Atletico means he has now found the net seven times in eight games since his close-season switch from Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola's City know a thing or two about scoring goals themselves, of course, having wracked up no fewer than 16 on their last three league outings against Liverpool (5-0), Watford (0-6) and Crystal Palace (5-0).
Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane have amassed 23 goals between them in all competitions and midfielder Fernandinho has revealed City's attackers are engaged in a private goal-scoring competition.
But City lost home and away to Chelsea last season and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan knows the trip to Stamford Bridge will be a test of his side's standing as early title favourites.
"It's a huge game and it's away, so it's even more difficult, but we feel ready," said the Germany international, whose side lead Manchester United on goal difference.
"If you ask the manager there is always something to improve, but we know that we are a great team, we have great players and it's just up to us to prove that every fourth day.
"It's also about character, going to Stamford Bridge against the champions to play our game.
"We're going to prove that we are ready for that and hopefully it will be a great game for us."
With Benjamin Mendy facing a long period on the sidelines, Fabian Delph could again fill in at left-back for City, his recent displays in the position having helped him to earn an England recall on Thursday.
Manchester City's defensive resilience in the absence of the injured Benjamin Mendy faces its first and arguably toughest test when the Premier League leaders travel to champions Chelsea.
The 23-year-old France full-back has been in fine form for City since his £50 million ($67 million, 57 million euros) pre-season move from Monaco.
But Thursday saw City announce Mendy will undergo surgery in Barcelona on Friday after he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during last weekend's victory over Crystal Palace.
"Bad news guys -- I'll be joining Injury FC on loan for a couple months with ruptured ACL... but will be back soon & stronger hopefully," tweeted Mendy.
City manager Pep Guardiola is under pressure to make good on a huge amount of pre-season spending that saw him splash out more than £130 million on three full-backs alone by bringing major silverware back to the Etihad Stadium.
The Spanish manager, speaking before the full extent of Mendy's injury was confirmed Thursday, said: "We have Danilo, (Fabian) Delph and (Oleks) Zinchenko who can play there so we will see as we go along."
Both City and Chelsea, three points behind both Guardiola's men and second-placed Manchester United, go into Saturday's game on the back of midweek Champions League victories over Shakhtar Donetsk and Atletico Madrid respectively.
- 'Penalised' -
But Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is unhappy that, while City played at home on Tuesday, his side have a short turnaround after arriving back in London in the early ours of Thursday morning following their success in the Spanish capital.
"I think we are a bit penalised," said Conte. "Man City is a really strong team. They are scoring a lot of goals (21 in six Premier League games alone), they are in a good moment of form and we have to prepare well (for) this game because it is very important.
"There is the international break (after this weekend)," the Italian added. "My surprise is for this because there is the time (to play the game later)."
United will be huge favourites to beat basement club Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Far from soaring, the Eagles have lost all six of their league matches so far this season and have still to score their first top-flight goal of a campaign where they have already sacked Frank de Boer and brought in former England boss Roy Hodgson -- a boyhood Palace fan -- in a bid to arrest their slump.
Tottenham Hotspur, fresh from seeing England striker Harry Kane score a hat-trick in a 3-0 Champions League win away to APOEL Nicosia, are at surprise high-flyers Huddersfield while Watford will look to consolidate their position in the top half at West Bromwich Albion.
Elsewhere West Ham, with just Bournemouth and Palace below them in the table, will hope to ease the pressure on manager Slaven Bilic when they welcome Swansea to the London Stadium, while Southampton are away to Stoke.
The pick of Sunday's three Premier League matches sees Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez up against former club Liverpool, who this week drew 1-1 away to Spartak Moscow in the Champions League, at St James' Park in a fixture long known for producing high-scoring encounters.
Arsenal and Everton, fresh from Europa League duty, are at home to Brighton and Burnley respectively.
Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated)
Saturday
Bournemouth v Leicester, Chelsea v Manchester City (1630 GMT), Huddersfield v Tottenham (1130 GMT), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke v Southampton, West Brom v Watford, West Ham v Swansea
Sunday
Arsenal v Brighton (1100 GMT), Everton v Burnley (1315 GMT), Newcastle v Liverpool (1430 GMT)