Blues facing stern test in City

CHAMPIONS Chelsea have not enjoyed the best of starts at home this season and face their biggest test yet with the visit of free-scoring league leaders Manchester City tomorrow.

Antonio Conte’s side suffered a shock defeat by Burnley at Stamford Bridge on the opening day of the English Premier League season – and despite a 2-0 win over Everton two weeks later, home fans were left frustrated when Arsenal ground out a 0-0 draw earlier this month.

On the road, it has been plain sailing for the Blues, who are third on the league table after picking up three away wins out of three and scoring eight goals in the process.

But when it comes to firing in goals, City is leading the way – with Pep Guardiola’s side finding the back of the net 21 times already this season and conceding only twice, to top the table with 16 points.

There may even be extra motivation for Manchester City’s Argentine striker Sergio Aguero to find the net tomorrow, as he is one goal away from equalling Eric Brook’s all-time club record of 177 goals – which has stood for 78 years.

Aguero is the joint-top scorer in the league, on six goals, but is closely followed by teammates Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, on five and four netted respectively.

New Chelsea star Alvaro Morata has also been among the goals, having struck six times in the league since his transfer from Real Madrid.

With the north London club officially announcing the sale of Diego Costa to Real’s city rivals Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, Morata, 24, will be relied on even more to spearhead Chelsea’s title defence.

The fiery Spaniard scored for Chelsea in the last-gasp 2-1 win over Atletico in the Champions League on Wednesday night. – Reuters