Chelsea vs Manchester City has “become a rivalry” after last season’s Champions League final, according to Blues legend Petr Cech.
Chelsea were beaten 3-1 at home against Manchester City in January. This came a few weeks before Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have faced the Premier League champions three times since then and they have won all three meetings.
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Tuchel’s side beat City 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-finals in April before they defeated them 2-1 in the Premier League a month later.
Chelsea and Man City then faced off in the Champions League final in Porto. Tuchel got the better of Pep Guardiola again as Kai Havertz netted the winner as the Londoners won 1-0.
As cited by Manchester Evening News, Cech has been speaking ahead of Chelsea’s game against City on Saturday. He believes that City will be keen to get revenge this weekend:
“When you have big games like this, players don’t need to find any extra motivation. These are the games where it is always great to be involved,” Cech said.
“You know it’s a significant game in terms of table position, three points always give you a big advantage, and as it’s a rerun of the Champions League final and we beat them three times in a row, Man City will be saying they need to do something about it.
“This has become a rivalry. If you get the result in a game like this, you can really enjoy the rest of the football for the weekend.
“You start early, you finish early, you can watch the other games and enjoy the rest of the day with the family, have a nice meal with the good feeling that it was a great win.
“That’s the advantage of the early game – if you manage to win!”
Ahead of Saturday’s game, Tuchel has suggested that Chelsea will “not be in depression” if they are beaten:
“Before we talk about the result we need to focus on the input and what we need to deliver. We need to accept that you need the momentum and a bit of luck on your side. Tomorrow after the game we can judge what result it is and if it’s deserved.
“If we win tomorrow we will not be crowned as champions and if City win they will not be champions and we will not be in depression. It’s a match we like to watch at this kind of level. We worked hard for it and we feel ready for this kind of competition and we are very well aware what it takes to have the opportunity to beat them once again.”