Chelsea have an undeniable problem that Man City can exploit

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Manchester City return to Premier League action on Sunday when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

After winning at Wembley and booking a return trip, Manchester City will turn their focus back to the Premier League title race this weekend as they travel to Chelsea.

While City are on cloud nine having landed a psychological blow on Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final before thrashing Liverpool in the FA Cup, the dark clouds are hovering over Stamford Bridge. When these two teams last met, Enzo Maresca had just been sacked and Chelsea's U21s head coach Calum McFarlane guided them to an unlikely draw at the Etihad Stadium.

Liam Rosenior has since been appointed by Chelsea's unpopular owners. So far it has been a rough ride for the 41-year-old, and City will be relishing the chance to crank up the heat.

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City have already been boosted by Enzo Fernandez's absence from this weekend's game. The club have banned the Argentine for the next two games after he opened the door to an exit from Stamford Bridge.

Sitting sixth in the Premier League, Chelsea should be buoyed after it was confirmed this week that the top five will qualify for the Champions League. Instead, there is plenty of pessimism in west London and City should be confident they can exploit an undeniable problem for this weekend's host.

By some distance, Chelsea have the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League. While they only rank joint third for the number of yellow cards received (71), they lead the way on red cards.

Chelsea have amassed a whopping seven red cards this season, comfortably more than Tottenham and Everton, who share second place with four each. Since the turn of the year, Chelsea have picked up three red cards - two of which came in the Premier League.

This will be music to the ears of City stars like Rayan Cherki. The summer signing from Lyon has dazzled supporters with his tricks and flair this season.

Cherki has not only wowed Blues fans, he has also managed to rile up opposition teams in the process. While Pep Guardiola did not approve of the midfielder's keepy-ups during the Carabao Cup final, he did draw a foul from Ben White afterwards.

This has been a theme throughout this season for Cherki, as even the coolest of heads lose their patience. He will now relish the chance to play against a team who need no encouragement to show their ill-discipline.

Chelsea fans' belief in their team is fragile. City know if they start dominating possession, drawing bookings from Rosenior's players and grabbing an early goal, the supporters will turn on their opponents.

Their home advantage will soon be wiped out if City can start quickly and not allow Chelsea to pick up momentum. Cherki will help with that cause, especially if he is showcasing his trademark flair.

City have a player clubs hate to play against. He is still discovering the fine line between confidence and showboating, but against a team like Chelsea, Cherki is exactly what you need.