Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes that Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea will soon be 'fighting for titles' again, and he is wary of the threat they could pose in Sunday's Premier League meeting at Stamford Bridge.
Since Chelsea beat Man City in the 2020-21 Champions League final, the West Londoners have experienced an eventful few seasons under four different managers following the transition of ownership from Roman Abramovich to Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Chelsea's £40m signing of Cole Palmer from Man City on September 1 took the club's spending beyond £400m for the summer transfer window, as well as surpass the £1bn mark since Boehly's arrival.
However, the Blues are yet to fully reap the rewards of their eye-catching spending sprees and had to settle for a disastrous 12th-placed finish in the Premier League last season - a remarkable 45 points adrift of Guardiola's title-winning side.
Chelsea currently sit 10th in the top-flight standings after 11 matches this term, but they have shown signs of progress under new boss Pochettino and claimed a statement 4-1 away victory over former league leaders Tottenham Hotspur in a chaotic contest last Monday.
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Ahead of Sunday's Stamford Bridge showdown, Guardiola has labelled Chelsea as an 'important club' and one of the "toughest" opponents his Man City side are set to face this season, and he is confident that it will not be long before the five-time Premier League winners will be lifting silverware once again.
"Chelsea remain one of the most important clubs," Guardiola said at a press conference on Friday. "They won the Champions League under [Thomas] Tuchel against us.
"It's true they were not close to win the Premier League in these seasons, but they are one of the strongest teams no doubt.
"They're aggressive and have good patterns. One of the toughest games we have during the season.
"We have try to maintain the level of our game, but sooner or later Chelsea will be there fighting for titles. No doubt about that."
Guardiola has also talked up former Man City duo Palmer and Raheem Sterling ahead of their reunion with the Citizens on Sunday.
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"Really pleased [for Palmer]," Guardiola added. "One of the reasons he left was game time and he's getting it so congratulations to him. He's playing well and all the best. Congratulations to Chelsea and him.
"[Sterling is] playing really good. He's back in his best moments from what I've seen recently. What he did here for us in the early years was really, really important."
Palmer has made a bright start to life at Chelsea and has quickly established himself as a first-team regular under Pochettino, scoring three goals and providing four assists in 11 appearances across all competitions.
Sterling, meanwhile, is also one of the first names of the teamsheet for Pochettino, scoring four goals and setting up two more in 13 games this season – contributing to three goals in his last five appearances.
The 28-year-old, who made over 300 appearances over seven years for Man City and won 11 trophies, is expected to play alongside Palmer against the reigning Premier League champions this weekend.
As for the visitors, they will be without John Stones due to a muscle injury, but Manuel Akanji has recovered from a minor back problem sustained prior to Tuesday's 3-0 win over Young Boys in the Champions league and is available to play at Stamford Bridge.
Oliver Thomas
