Six games into the season and already Manchester City face a make-or-break showdown with Premier League leaders Chelsea in tonight's early kick-off. This is the match of the weekend and City need to win if they are to be taken seriously as title contenders.
City may be in the top four, as most people expected them to be this season, but there is a seven-point gap to Chelsea and defeat tonight would leave Roberto Mancini's team with a mountain to climb. The same old problems have been evident this season, with a tendency to give away costly goals - a 90th-minute penalty that resulted in a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland and the defensive mix-up that allowed Blackburn to take a point at Eastlands.
Mancini has also paid the price for being too negative on the road and has left his players relying on their strong home form to maintain any semblance of a title challenge. City won five of nine at home to top-half finishers last season, including a 2-1 win over Chelsea, and they will have to reproduce that if they are to finish any higher than last season.
There must be a decent chance for City to prove their worth in tonight's showdown, as Chelsea's poor away form might be exposed again at Eastlands. A key factor in Chelsea's title success last season was their away wins against Manchester United and Arsenal, but they managed only one other away victory at the next seven teams.
It is not easy to explain why Chelsea should be found wanting so often against the teams in between. City's home record suggests it will be hard for Carlo Ancelotti's team to win tonight.
Although Chelsea have started strongly, tonight is their first big test and it is worth noting that against one of the top teams - the Community Shield clash with Manchester United - they were beaten 3-1.