Manchester City could break a club unbeaten record that has stood for 77 years when they welcome Chelsea to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening, and in turn set a new unwanted record for the Blues.
The Citizens host their London counterparts for the Blues' first Premier League match since the departure of Enzo Maresca, who incredibly left his post as Chelsea head coach on New Year's Day.
Maresca is understood to have his eye on replacing Pep Guardiola - a former mentor - at Man City, and the Italian had informed Chelsea of talks between himself and the Sky Blues while he was at Stamford Bridge.
The Club World Cup winners are now thought to be in advanced talks to hire Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior as their new head coach, and the 41-year-old will be appointed Maresca's successor unless there is an 'extraordinary' development.
For the time being, however, Under-21s head coach Calum McFarlane will take charge of Chelsea, and the 40-year-old will endeavour to reverse an ugly trend in a Mancunian baptism of fire.
Man City aiming to set new club record in Chelsea fixture
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Indeed, Chelsea have failed to win any of their last eight Premier League matches against Man City, losing six and drawing two against the Sky Blues since prevailing 2-1 at the Etihad in May 2021.
Should Man City also take at least a point away from Sunday's game, the Sky Blues will set a new club record for their longest-ever unbeaten league run against Chelsea, whom they have never gone nine games against without losing in division football.
When the Citizens prevailed 3-1 against Chelsea in January 2025, they equalled their club record of eight league games unbeaten vs. the West London giants, having also achieved that feat in the First Division between 1936 and 1949.
As a result, not only will City break their own record with a win or draw, Chelsea would have endured their longest-ever sequence without a league win against the Mancunian giants if they fail to triumph.
Guardiola conquered Maresca by an aggregate score of 5-1 last season, and the hosts have also netted in 21 of their last 22 top-flight matches against Chelsea, only drawing a blank in a 2-0 away loss in December 2018.
Worrying Cole Palmer stat emerges before Man City vs. Chelsea
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Chelsea received a significant selection blow in their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in midweek, as Moises Caicedo collected his fifth yellow card of the season, ruling him out of this showdown through suspension.
However, Cole Palmer is fit and raring to go after his penalty in the four-goal stalemate with the Cherries, just his third Premier League strike from nine games in a disrupted 2025-26 season.
The England international needs no added incentive to get one over his former club on Sunday, but recent history suggests that he will not be whipping out his 'cold' celebration at his erstwhile home.
Indeed, each of Palmer's last nine Premier League goals have come in London, and he did not score outside the capital once in the top flight in 2025; his last such strike came at Southampton in December 2024.
Meanwhile, Palmer has to go even further back to August 2024 for his last Premier League goal north of London, when he netted against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.