PREMIER LEAGUE

   

  

Manchester City's stars put through their paces as Manuel Pellegrini prepares for the title clash with Jose Mourinho's Chelsea

• Manchester City's players given gruelling training session ahead of title showdown with Jose Mourinho's Chelsea
• Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Joe Hart all took part and should all be involved from the start on Saturday
• Manchester City can close the gap on Chelsea to one point if they can come away with victory from Stamford Bridge
• Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony could be involved if the Ivory Coast get knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations
• The clash will see Frank Lampard return to Chelsea for the first time since he left the club in the summer

Manchester City's stars were put through a gruelling training session by Manuel Pellegrini and his staff, ahead of their title showdown against Chelsea on Saturday evening.

Pellegrini's side are currently four points behind the leaders and they know that a win will not only close the gap but will make the consecutive 2-0 home defeats by Arsenal and Middlesbrough a distant memory.

Yaya Toure and new signing Wilfried Bony could be involved in the clash, if the Ivory Coast are knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations tonight, and that would be a huge boost for the Premier League's reigning champions. 

The Manchester City manager's head-to-head record against Jose Mourinho is less than impressive - with the Chelsea manager winning seven out of their previous ten meetings and Pellegrini only winning once.

The two sides managed a 1-1 draw earlier in the season at the Etihad Stadium when ex-Chelsea star Frank Lampard scored a vital late equaliser for home side, after Andre Schurrle had put the visitors ahead.

Potentially some good news for Aguero and his teammates is the news that Diego Costa could face a three-match ban after being involved in a number of incidents against Liverpool last night.

The striker is adjudged to have stamped on Emre Can and has been charged but the FA found the striker not guilty of another misdemeanor but this time on defender Martin Skrtel. 

Chelsea are also sweating on the fitness of Cesc Fabregas after he was taken off complaining of a tight hamstring. 

But there can be no excuses this time round if the Champions fail to get a result against Jose Mourinho's depleted side and close the gap on the league leaders.