Chelsea will try to get back to their winning form as they battle cellar-dwellers Hull City on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, while Manchester City will attempt to stay within the striking distance in the English Premier League race when they play against Leicester City at King Power Stadium.
Chelsea vs. Hull City at 11:00 p.m (Live Stream on NBC Sports Extra & Sports Stream / Statistics)
After being stunned by Newcastle United on December 6, Chelsea salvaged a 3-1 win over SP Lisbon on Tuesday to keep their momentum heading into the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Then again, the treat of both Manchester United and Manchester City has been growing each passing game, and it's up for Jose Mourinho's boys to hold their ground against their resurging ball clubs.
But to do that, Chelsea has to play their upcoming match against Hull City with their no.1 goaltender Thibaut Cortois, who sustained muscular problem during training.
With the Belgian out, Mourinho will lean on an older but more experienced goalie in Petr Cech, whose last Premier League play appearance resulted in the Blues' victory over rival Arsenal last October.
"He (Courtois) had a little problem in training, a little muscular problem and he's not available. (It is) a chance for Petr and a chance for Mark (Schwarzer) to be on the bench. We played Petr already in three Champions League matches and every game in the Capital One Cup."
Hull manager Steve Bruce is aware that Chelsea is just too much with regards to talent along with a very brilliant coach in Mourinho. Nevertheless, they vow to salvage their third win of the season against the European powerhouse.
"It's funny...one of the reports I get from the scouts usually tries to highlight a weakness and this one came back as 'none: they don't have any weakness', which I thought was quite amusing," according to Bruce.
Manchester City vs. Leicester City at 11:00 p.m (Livestream on NBC Sports & Sports Stream / Statistics)
Meanwhile, Man City can equalize Chelsea for the best record in the EPL, with a win against Leicester City and a Blues' loss at the hands of Hull City.
Leicester City is currently at the bottom of the Premier League standings with only two wins around their belt. Still, Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini isn't overlooking the capability of their opponent.
"Maybe it has been a difficult start for them but I think they are a very good team. They beat Man United and they lost against Liverpool, but in a game they played also very well," according to Man City Boss.
"We are not thinking about which position they are in the table. We are thinking about if we want to win, we must play the same way we are doing in the last weeks.
