It ends all square at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea maintain their five-point lead at the top of the table despite being second best for long periods in this match. It is the first match that they have failed to win in the Premier League at home this season, but they will be happy with a point under the circumstances today. Loic Remy opened the scoring for the hosts five minutes before the break, but Silva levelled things up right on the stroke of half time by steering Aguero's effort in.

CHELSEA SUB: Ruben Loftus-Cheek will get a short Premier League debut here as he comes on for Oscar with a minute of stoppage time remaining.

The fourth official indicates a minimum of three minutes added time at the end of this match. Will we see a late winner?

MAN CITY SUB: Another change for City, and it is an interesting one as Stevan Jovetic replaces Silva, who isn't happy at being brought off with the match still hanging in the balance.

Battling play from Milner as he squeezes a pass to Silva before getting into the box for the return ball. He drills a low effort towards the far corner, but it ends up being somewhere between a cross and a shot, going behind for a goal kick.

CHELSEA SUB: Mourinho seems to be content with a draw here as he replaces Remy with Gary Cahill. A draw would be better for Chelsea than City for sure, and that seems to be Mourinho's thinking now.

City momentarily look to be in behind Chelsea as Navas skips to the byline, but he can't do anything with it and Chelsea eventually force the visitors all the way back to the halfway line. Good team defending from the hosts there.

MAN CITY SUB: Straight swap up front for City here as Aguero makes way for Edin Dzeko. Aguero still seems to be a little short of his full fitness at the moment.

CHELSEA SUB: Sure enough, the Brazilian departs to be replaced by Didier Drogba. There are some big Chelsea legends on both sides right now!

A concern for Chelsea here as Willian goes down, and the physio signals that he will not be able to continue here.

That change has seen a reshuffle in terms of tactics for the visitors, with Silva going out to the left and Lampard occupying the place just behind Aguero. Milner, meanwhile, has moved into central midfield.

MAN CITY SUB: It's Frank Lampard time! The Chelsea legend is applauded onto the field by a number of home supporters as he replaces Fernando, who limps off the field. Surely the script isn't written for Lampard to get the winner?

YELLOW CARD! Fernando goes into the book for a trip on Hazard and he can have no complaints at going into the book, even if City feel as though Matic should also be in there by now.

I mentioned fatigue potentially becoming a factor in this match, and that is increasingly looking like the case for Chelsea. They are second to every ball and the moment and just can't get out. Mourinho may need to turn to his bench sooner rather than later because many of his players look tired.

Matic is walking a bit of a tightrope now in terms of a yellow card. He fouls Silva again here but trots away to avoid a caution, despite Silva's protests. Mourinho is unhappy about something, and Clattenburg has to come over and have a word with the Chelsea boss.

SAVE! Very good refereeing as Milner just nicks the ball with a good challenge from behind and Clattenburg allows play to continue. Fernando picks the ball up and tries to steer an effort into the bottom corner, but Courtois gets down to make a comfortable stop.

Chelsea just haven't got going at all in this second half yet. It is approaching dominance from City since the break, with the likes of Hazard, Oscar and Remy getting no joy in the final third for the hosts.

Half a chance for City as Navas again gets the better of Azpilicueta down the flank before putting a cross into the middle. Milner rises higher than Ivanovic at the back post and loops a header towards goal that ends up on the roof of the net.

Frank Lampard has called for his boots on the touchline and we could be about to see Chelsea's record goalscorer come on for City here. He got the equaliser in this fixture earlier in the season and could be the man to make the difference here on his first return to Stamford Bridge.

City have certainly had the better of this second half so far, with Chelsea unable to create anything in an attacking sense since the break. They need to make the most of such spells in the ascendancy, however, as Chelsea are always capable of nicking a goal.

Brilliant from Matic. He has not quite been on top form in recent weeks, but this is him at his best. Clichy steals the ball ahead of Ivanovic and looks to take advantage of the Chelsea full-back's absence in defence. However, Matic comes across and makes a superb tackle to stop the attack in its tracks.

Silva pings a pass out to Milner on the left side of the field and the England man looks to be in a very good crossing position, only for the linesman's flag to go up. It was the wrong decision, however, and City have been robbed of a strong attacking platform there.

SAVE! Another half sight of goal for the visitors as a cross arrives at pace from the right hand side. Fernandinho is arriving late and meets the ball on the edge of the box, nodding it down into the ground. The ball bounces up and almost over Courtois, who just tips it over the top.

City win a corner and Sagna attacks it at the front post, but it goes over his head and hits Matic. The Chelsea man doesn't know much about it as he turns it into his own side-netting, but the referee mistakenly awards a goal kick.

Demichelis gets a whack in the face as Remy tried to flick the ball over his head, but the City defender is big and ugly enough to handle that one. Nothing in terms of chances for either side in this second half so far.

YELLOW CARD! Silva becomes the first name in the referee's book today for a trip on Matic. No complaints there, it was a cynical one from the City goalscorer.

Mourinho has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons this week and he risks the wrath of the referee again here by kicking the ball at Milner. He insists it was a mistake and nothing comes of it, but it is worthy of a few words on the touchline.

Matic takes a tumble in midfield but Clattenburg rightly waves away claims for a foul as City come forward through Navas. He exchanges passes with Aguero but eventually sends a poor cross straight out of play having reached the byline.

It will be interesting to see whether fatigue plays a part in this second half. Chelsea have had a gruelling week or so, with 120 minutes against Liverpool as recently as Tuesday. City, meanwhile have had the whole week off since that defeat to Middlesbrough.

KICKOFF: Chelsea get us back underway for quite possibly the biggest 45 minutes of the season so far. No changes for either side, but Frank Lampard remains an option on that City bench. What a story that would be if he made the difference today.

That match really was in need of those two goals from a neutral's point of view. It was a tactical battle for the opening 40 minutes and neither side ever really gained control over the other in a tight clash. It will be interesting to see whether much changes in that respect after the break, but you'd have to think that the onus is more on City to go for the win here. A fascinating second half awaits.

Moments before that, Oscar had a shooting opportunity from the edge of the box following a a mistake from Kompany. Remy caught the City skipper in possession and raced down the left flank before cutting the ball back to the edge of the box. Hazard dummied it for Oscar, but his effort lacked power and was simple for Hart.

Aside from that, there was very little goalmouth action from either side throughout the opening 45 minutes. The best chance apart from the goals fell to City when a long ball caught Terry out and allowed Aguero the chance to race through. He only had the keeper to beat but scuffed his effort wide of the far post when he really should have scored. It is an uncharacteristic miss from the Argentine, and he will be hoping that it doesn't prove costly.

The lead lasted less than five minutes, however, as City drew level right on the stroke of half time following a rare mistake from Courtois. Sagna slid a pass down the wing for Navas to run on to, and his cross drew the keeper off his line. He went to punch the ball clear but got nowhere near enough on it, only diverting it to Aguero. The striker fired a low effort towards the gaping goal, and Silva was there to touch it in when it looked to be going wide.

It was the hosts who opened the scoring in the 41st minute courtesy of a close-range finish from Remy, who was chosen ahead of Drogba to replace Costa today. Willian did well to shrug off a challenge from Clichy before dropping the ball back to Ivanovic, who switched play to Hazard down the left channel. The Belgian met it with a fine ball across the face of goal and, after Kompany had failed to cut it out, Remy was there to tap home.

What an eventful end to the half we had there! The game looked to be drifting to half time without a goal for either side, but two in the final 10 minutes mean that we are now level at 1-1 going into the break. It is set up very nicely for the second half now, and City will fancy their chances to becoming at least the first side to take points off Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this season.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

And respond they do! City hit straight back and it is David Silva who will be credited with the goal, despite it being Aguero's initial shot. Jesus Navas was sent down the right flank and his cross into the middle brought Courtois off his line. The keeper, for once, makes a mess of his punch and it falls to Aguero, who lashed effort from just inside the box was turned in by Silva.

How big could that goal prove to be? City have arguably had the better of this first half, but they find themselves behind now thanks to a couple of moments of class from Ivanovic and Hazard. The visitors need to respond now, and that goal should make for a more entertaining second half.

First blood goes to Chelsea in this huge title showdown! The hosts knock the ball about on the right wing before Ivanovic switches play with a lovely ball over for Hazard. The winger plays a first-time pass right across the face of goal that Kompany dare not touch, and Remy is there to tap home from close range.

In truth, this has not been the most entertaining 40 minutes of football Stamford Bridge has ever seen. We expected it to be tight and it has certainly ended up that way. It is more like a chess match right now as both sides look to get one over on their opponents.

Mark Clattenburg gives Willian a warning that one more foul could result in a yellow card after the Brazilian tripped Aguero on his way back to get goal-side of the striker. Clattenburg kept his cards in his pocket so far but that will change in the second half I'm sure.

Hazard is limping a little here, which will be worrying for Mourinho, who is already without a number of key players. He looks like he should be fine to continue after his ankle just got caught under Sagna during a challenge.

Aguero doesn't look quite as sharp since his latest return from injury, it must be said. You'd have backed him to score that nine times out of 10 earlier in the campaign, but he never really looked confident of tucking away what was by far the best opening of the match there.

CHANCE! Big chance for City to break the deadlock! Moments after Demichelis survives a handball shout on the edge of his own area, one long ball forward releases Aguero, with Terry caught under the ball and unable to cut it out. Aguero only has the keeper to beat as he bears down on goal, but his finish is weak as he drags it wide of the far post.

SAVE! Probably the clearest chance of the match falls to the hosts, and it stems from a mistake by Kompany. Remy capitalises and carries the ball down the left before pulling the ball back towards Hazard, who dummies it for Oscar. The Brazilian hits it first time, but his effort lacks power and is easy for Hart.

A tussle in the area between Aguero and Azpilicueta as both look to prevent the other from reaching the ball from a corner. Both were guilty of fouling the other, but the free kick goes Chelsea's way, much to the dismay of Aguero.

Zouma did well against Aguero again there. Terry also deserves some credit for initially preventing him from switching to his right foot, but it was Zouma who forced him wider and made a potential chance much more difficult. He has started this match confidently.

SAVE! Ivanovic dwells on the ball for too long in defence, allowing Milner to steal possession from him and slip a pass inside to Aguero. The striker is forced out onto his left foot but still forces a save from Courtois despite the angle being against him.

This one looks like developing into a very tight contest, as expected. We are yet to see any clear chances for either side and it is the respective defences who are on top right now.

Remy momentarily looks to be in behind the defence with a clever run that is found by the ball of Hazard, but the striker just strayed too early and is flagged for offside. It was clever movement from the Frenchman, though.

Matic drives forward from midfield and wins his side a free kick in a similar position to the one that led to Ivanovic's goal in midweek. However, this time they take it quickly and it proves to be a waste as the resulting attack comes to nothing.

Aguero lines up Zouma for the first time tonight and looks to have earned a yard on the young defender by speeding down the outside. However, Zouma recovers really well to make a fine challenge in the area, knocking the ball behind for a corner.

City have edged the possession in this opening quarter of an hour or so, and Pellegrini will be fairly content with how his side have started this game. A draw would probably be a better result for Chelsea than it would for City, but the early signs are that the hosts won't have things their own way this afternoon.

Chelsea win their first corner of the afternoon but it comes to nothing despite Terry getting his head to the ball. He couldn't get any power behind his effort, which looped harmlessly off target.

We're still waiting for our first real chance of this match, with both sides wrestling for control of the game right now. Both have enjoyed decent spells of possession but no-one has grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck so far.

Really bright play from Clichy as he bundles through one challenge before giving the ball to Silva and continuing his run forward. However, for once Silva can't provide the pass, putting too much on it as it rolls behind for a goal kick.

SHOT! Now City have a good spell of possession in the Chelsea half and it almost creates a good chance as Chelsea give the ball away and Navas slides his pass down the right channel for Fernandinho. He tries to drill a shot across goal, but it deflects wide for a corner.

It is Chelsea who are asking all of the early questions here, with City unable to get out from their own half at the moment. The hosts have dominated the ball so far and have started much the brighter.

Again Kompany is forced into action as he tussles with Remy, and again the City skipper comes out on top. He didn't look quite as convincing this time, however, losing his balance before poking the ball to a teammate.

Dominant defending from Kompany early on as he looks to make a statement in the opening exchanges. He races out to meet Hazard and won the ball while also leaving the Belgian in a heap on the floor.

KICKOFF: Man City get us underway for the biggest Premier League match of the season and immediately they look to get on the front foot, with Navas stinging the palms of Courtois with an early effort.

The players are out and we're just about ready to get going here at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea won the corresponding fixture 2-1 last season, with Torres grabbing a 90th-minute winner. A repeat scoreline would do the hosts very nicely here.

In addition to that, Jose Mourinho's record against Manuel Pellegrini is a good one having won seven and lost only two of their previous meetings. Overall, City have only ever won two Premier League games here at Stamford Bridge, both finishing 4-2 and the most recent of which came all the way back in February 2010. They have drawn four and lost 11 in addition to those two wins.

Chelsea boast an impressive record over City during the last 20 years or so - no side has beaten the Citizens more often in the Premier League than the West Londoners. They have emerged victorious from this fixture on 22 occasions, which is the same number as Arsenal have managed. They have also won four and lost just two of their last eight league meetings.

So, that's what I think, but how about the Sports Mole sofa? You can listen to their thoughts on this huge title showdown in our video preview below:

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at Stamford Bridge, which means that it is about time I made a prediction! This is a really tricky game to call for a number of reasons, chief among them both sides' recent dip in form. Costa absence could prove crucial, but I think Chelsea may still edge it. Mourinho is a master of eking out results in games like this, and I expect him to stifle City and look to hit on the break, despite being at home. The safe money, for me, would be on a goalless draw at half time, and I think Chelsea will go on to win 1-0.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at Stamford Bridge, which means that it is about time I made a prediction! This is a really tricky game to call for a number of reasons, chief among them both sides' recent dip in form. Costa absence could prove crucial, but I think Chelsea may still edge it. Mourinho is a master of eking out results in games like this, and I expect him to stifle City and look to hit on the break, despite being at home. The safe money, for me, would be on a goalless draw at half time, and I think Chelsea will go on to win 1-0.

Kompany is the only member of City's back five to keep his place from the defeat to Middlesbrough, which means that there is a start for Sagna ahead of Zabaleta, who was sent off in the reverse fixture. Hart returns in goal as expected, while Demichelis partners Kompany in central defence. Clichy, meanwhile, comes in on the life, with Kolarov dropping to the bench to make way for the French full-back.

Behind him is the puppet-master David Silva, who was prevented from playing by Arsenal and faces another stern test against the likes of Matic and Ramires today. If he can find his best form then it could be key to City unlocking the Chelsea defence, but he will need the likes of Navas and Milner around him to create a bit of space in the middle of the park. Matic is a master at protecting the back four, and that duel could be crucial in the outcome of the match.

While Chelsea are without their star striker, Man City have theirs back fit and available, although Aguero is yet to find the back of the net in the four matches since his return from injury. Compared to five goals in the three games immediately before his absence, it is a slow period for the Argentine, but he is undoubtedly one of the league's best players and Chelsea can't afford to give him a sniff at goal this afternoon. He has 14 Premier League goals for the season, which is a tally only Costa can better.

Ivanovic has overcome a foot problem sustained on Tuesday to feature, maintaining his record of starting every Premier League game too. He has picked up an assist in each of his last three outings in the league and got the only goal of the 120 minutes against Liverpool in midweek too. Interestingly, Zouma keeps his place in the side following a good performance up against Sterling, with Cahill left on the bench once again. Azpilicueta, meanwhile comes in at left-back due to a calf injury to Felipe Luis.

It is interesting that Mourinho has gone for Ramires as the fellow holding midfielder alongside Matic, and you'd have to think that it is not an ideal scenario for the Chelsea boss. In big games like this he usually opts for a cautious approach with two out-and-out defensive midfielders and, while Ramires can certainly do that job, he also likes to get forward on occasion. That is not necessarily a bad thing for the hosts, but Mourinho probably would have preferred Mikel to fill that void today.

Another notable absence comes in midfield as Fabregas is left out of the squad entirely with a hamstring complaint. That doesn't affect the three more advanced midfielders, however, as Mourinho sticks with his preferred trio of Willian, Oscar and Hazard, the latter of whom has started every Premier League game this season. In the absence of Costa, the Belgian winger could well be Chelsea's most dangerous player today.

The biggest question surrounding the Chelsea side was who would replace Costa up front, and Mourinho has opted for Remy, which is something of a surprise. His pace could cause Terry a few problems, but the experience of Drogba in big games like this could also be invaluable. Whoever was to come in, though, there is no doubt that Costa is a huge loss having scored 17 goals already this season. Remy has big shoes to fill on the grand occasion today.

MAN CITY SUBS: Caballero, Zabaleta, Boyata, Kolarov, Lampard, Jovetic, Dzeko

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Demichelis, Clichy; Navas, Fernando, Fernandinho, Milner, Silva; Aguero

CHELSEA SUBS: Cech, Cahill, Christensen, Ake, Loftus-Cheek, Brown, Drogba

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Remy

TEAM NEWS: The teams are in for both sides and, with Costa suspended, Mourinho opts for Remy to lead the line ahead of Drogba. Ramires is preferred to Mikel in midfield due to Fabregas's absence, while Zouma maintains his place in the side. City, meanwhile, welcome Sagna, Clichy and Fernandinho back into the side, while Aguero and Kompany once again start. Full teams for both sides coming up...

It is an interesting clash on many levels today, not only a case of first against second. The best home form takes on the best away form, and within that the best home defence is facing the best away attack in Man City's. They are the only team to have scored in every one of their Premier League away games this season and average an impressive 2.27 goals per game on their travels.

The visitors will be hopeful that they have the firepower to see off even the most stubborn of challenges, though, with Aguero once again leading the line today. Only Chelsea have managed more goals in the Premier League than City so far this season, but Aguero in particular has struggled to show his best form since his latest return from injury. It could be the case that the midfield has to weigh in with a goal in this match and, with a certain Frank Lampard on the bench in his first return to Stamford Bridge, who would bet against him making an impact?

City's last Premier League outing also provided a shock, although not on the same scale as Middlesbrough's victory. Arsenal came to the Etihad and put in the type of performance that we are not used to seeing from an Arsene Wenger side as they stifled the champions and ground out a 2-0 victory. Chelsea under Mourinho are masters of doing a similar job, and it wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see Mourinho employ such tactics this afternoon.

Should Manchester City lose this afternoon then it would be the first time since November 2010 that they have been beaten three times on the bounce, and their loss of form has coincided with Yaya Toure's participation in the Africa Cup of Nations. Toure has not quite hit the heights of last season so far in the current campaign, but he is still a key player for the Citizens, who haven't won a league game without the big midfielder since last April. They have, however, beaten Bayern Munich and Roma without him this season, so will be hopeful of coping today.

Unlike Chelsea, though, they have not yet been given the chance to bounce back from a shock FA Cup exit of their own last weekend, with Middlesbrough running out 2-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium. It was a second consecutive 2-0 home defeat for Manuel Pellegrini's side and made it three games in a row without a win including the 1-1 draw with Everton too. That is worrying for for a side hoping to defend their Premier League title, and Stamford Bridge is not the easiest place to address it.

However, like Chelsea they are going through their own dip in form at the moment and are threatening to undo all of the hard work they did in December. They had closed the gap on Chelsea and were dead level on all aspects at the top of the table, but just five points from their last four league games has seen them slip five points adrift, and another loss tonight would stretch that gap to a possibly insurmountable eight points.

Man City can counteract that with boasting the best away record in the top flight, however, having picked up 24 points from their 11 games on the road - two more than Chelsea having played an away game fewer than today's opponents. They are unbeaten in their last seven matches on their travels and have only been beaten twice all season, one of which came against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. They will certainly not be intimidated by the visit to the Bridge today.

There were many aspects of the defeat to Bradford that made it such a monumental shock, but perhaps the biggest of the lot was that it came at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea had been nigh-on perfect up until then. Indeed, they have been perfect at home in the Premier League, winning all 10 of their matches. In that time they have conceded only three goals - less than they did in the one match against Bradford - while also scoring 24, both of which are the best records in the division.

There have been off-field troubles at the club this week, however, which could disrupt things for Chelsea. Diego Costa was banned for three matches for a stamp on Can during the Liverpool victory, while Fabregas, Luis and Ivanovic all picked up injuries in that match and only the latter is in the starting lineup today. Mourinho was also fined £25,000 for his "campaign" comments earlier in the season, and the Portuguese boss was clearly unhappy with the charges as he cancelled his usual press conference on Friday.

While Chelsea's form has been a little more mixed of late, with unconvincing performances over the two legs with Liverpool and the Bradford defeat, it is important to note that they have still only been beaten three times in all competitions this season. Their last Premier League game was arguably their best domestic performance of the campaign so far as they raced into a 4-0 lead in the first half away to Swansea before going on to add a fifth without reply after the break.

That response came in the form of a League Cup semi-final with Liverpool and, although they were still not at their best, their 1-0 win after extra time will have done a lot to settle any nerves that were around following the Bradford defeat. It booked Chelsea's place in the first major cup final of the season and, while the quadruple is no longer an option, they remain very well placed to significantly add to their trophy haul under Mourinho this season.

The mood around Stamford Bridge now is a little more upbeat than it was a week ago, when Chelsea were on their way to suffering one of the biggest FA Cup upsets of all time. Mourinho labelled their 4-2 defeat to Bradford City, during which they squandered a two-goal lead, embarrassing and disgraceful, but he will have been happy with a chance to bounce back from that loss within a couple of days.

Having already let a nine-point lead slip this season, Mourinho will want to ensure that his side don't get complacent even if they win this afternoon. Having said that, it is tough to see Man City overcoming such a big deficit for a second time in the title race, and should the hosts win here then an eight-point gap would give them a comfortable amount of breathing space. A loss, on the other hand, would move City to within striking distance of the league leaders.

Chelsea looked unbeatable at times earlier in the season, so much so that they were tipped by many to emulate Arsenal's Invincibles during the current campaign. That dream has, of course, ended now, but they have still been by far and away the most impressive side over the entire campaign so far. There are just signs of cracks emerging for Jose Mourinho's side, though, and today will be the biggest test yet for them.

Good afternoon! What a treat we have in store for you today as Chelsea host Manchester City for the biggest match of the Premier League season so far. It could prove to be a pivotal encounter in the title race and is made all the more intriguing by both sides suffering a dip in form of late. We have no time to waste, so let's start with a look at the home side...