Chelsea vs Manchester City team news: Loic Remy starts with Diego Costa suspended and no Cesc Fabregas for Blues

Manchester City make five changes with Bacary Sagna preferred to Pablo Zabaleta

(Getty Images)

Jose Mourinho has elected to start Loic Remy in place of the suspended Diego Costa for the important Premier League clash against second-placed Manchester City.

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Chelsea’s starting line-up shows three changes from the side that beat Liverpool in the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg on Tuesday, with Cesar Azpilicueta returning on the left in place of Filipe Luis. Ramires replaces the injured Cesc Fabregas, but it’s the absence of Costa that will cause Chelsea their biggest concerns.

Remy comes in for the Spaniard, who is suspended for three games for his stamp on Emre Can, but the Frenchman only has four goals this season, two of which have come in the Premier League.

City’s starting XI shows five changes from the shock FA Cup defeat to Middlesbrough last weekend, with three of those coming in defence. Out goes Pablo Zabaleta, Aleksandar Kolarov and Dedryck Boyata, and in comes Bacary Sagna, Martin Demichelis and Gael Clichy. Fernandinho replaces Stevan Jovetic to give City more strength in midfield, while Joe Hart returns in goal at the expense of Willy Caballero.

Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna (Getty Images)

Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard will have to wait for his Stamford Bridge return as he could only make do with a place in the bench, having scored the equaliser when these two clubs met earlier in the season at the Etihad Stadium.

Line-ups:

Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry (c), Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Remy.

Subs: Cech, Cahill, Christensen, Ake, Loftus-Cheek, Brown and Drogba.

Manchester City: Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy; Navas, Fernando, Fernandinho, Milner, Silva; Aguero.

Subs: Caballero, Zabaleta, Boyata, Kolarov, Lampard, Jovetic, Dzeko.