Our Ben Coley looks at the stats to highlight some key pointers ahead of Sunday's Premier League game at Stamford Bridge.
Recently, these sides have traded blows with home advantage pivotal - each of the last four Premier League meetings has been won by the hosts.
Indeed, City have struggled in this fixture, winning it just twice in the Premier League era with both victories coming courtesy of 4-2 scorelines.
Historically, Chelsea edge the overall picture. These sides have met a total of 142 times, with Chelsea winning 59, Man City 47 and 36 draws.
In the last 30 meetings of the sides, both teams have scored on just 11 occasions. The average number of total goals in this period is 2.47, with Chelsea responsible for 52 of the 74 and City just 22.
In Chelsea's 12 Premier League games there have been a total of 37 goals - an average of 3.08 per game.
Both teams have scored in each of their last seven, and while Chelsea average over two home goals per game at home they've managed just two clean sheets in the league.
City's 12 Premier League games have provided 35 goals at an average of 2.92.
Their 0-0 draw at West Ham represented both a first failure to score on the road this season and a first clean sheet away from the Etihad.
Over the last two seasons, Chelsea's seven goals against City (five in the league and two in the Community Shield) have come via seven different players.
In the same period, there are five City players who've combined for six goals, with Samir Nasri the only member of their squad to score twice.
Eleven members of the Chelsea squad have scored in the Premier League, with Fernando Torres and Juan Mata each having bagged four.
A total of 10 City players have found the net in the league, with Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko leading the way with six each but Sergio Aguero close behind with five.
Chelsea have lost twice in the league, once when going in level and once when going in behind. Taking into account games in all competitions, they've failed to convert a half-time lead into victory three times, including when beaten by City in the Community Shield.
Four of their seven Premier League wins saw Chelsea in front at the break, with one - against Reading - coming after they were behind at half-time.
City are unbeaten in the league and were level at half-time in both Champions League defeats.
They've gone in behind four times in all competitions and on two occasions have gone on to win the game.
Chelsea have scored 14 home Premier League goals and nine of them came in the first half. They've conceded seven at home, five of which came in the first half.
City have managed just seven goals on the road, with five of them arriving in the second half. They've conceded five, three of which arrived before the interval.
Chelsea's Premier League games average 3.08 cards, that's if counting the red shown to Fernando Torres as two cards. That said, they've been involved in two card-less games this season.
Manchester City's games average just over 2.5 cards, with 30 yellows and one straight red shown so far. The latter was awarded to James Milner.
There have been five red cards in the last nine meetings of these sides, with four of them shown to Chelsea players.
Chelsea's Premier League games have produced a total of 126 corners, at an average of 10.50 per game.
City's Premier League games have produced a total of 130 corners, at an average of just over 10.83.
Without doubt a game that is hard to predict, a fact reflected in the betting.
Perhaps the angle is that Chelsea, who have found the net more often in the first half than after the break, will start quickly once more under new manager Rafael Benitez.
Whether or not City can come back into it as they have so often against lesser clubs is the question, particularly in light of the trend for home advantage to be massive in this fixture.
A red card would look a very real possibility if recent history is a guide, with Branislav Ivanovic among the most likely culprits given that one of two reds this season came in the Community Shield defeat to City.
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