Friday 15 April 2016 16:19, UK
This weekend's Saturday Night Football pits the champions of the past two seasons against one another at Stamford Bridge.
In August, few would have anticipated that, come the business end of the season, Manchester City - buoyed by a summer spending spree in excess of £150m - would trail Leicester by 15 points. Fewer still that defending champions Chelsea would be embroiled in a battle to simply finish in the top half.
Kevin De Bruyne's emphatic impact on his return to the Premier League was far easier to predict.
Chelsea paid £6.7m to Genk for De Bruyne in January 2012, but it wasn't until Jose Mourinho's return to the club ahead of the 2013/14 season that he was awarded his chance in west London.
Then, after only nine appearances in all competitions, and just 132 minutes of Premier League football, he was sold to Wolfsburg in January 2014.
The Belgian playmaker excelled last season with the Bundesliga outfit, and hasn't looked back since.
His creative capabilities have been clearly demonstrated throughout his inaugural season in Manchester.
Despite a recent 12-game absence with a knee injury, only Mesut Ozil and Dimitri Payet have created more chances per 90 minutes than De Bruyne this season, while only Ozil, David Silva and Gerard Deulofeu have averaged more assists per 90 minutes than Man City's number 17. His influence for Manuel Pellegrini's side is evident.
Since De Bruyne's 2014 departure, Chelsea have spent £96.5m on midfielders, and even the most devoted Chelsea supporter would surely agree that only Cesc Fabregas has been a success - although even he divides opinion amongst Chelsea's fan base.
So exactly how much has Fabregas achieved at Stamford Bridge? His initial impact was spectacular. He created two goals on his debut for the club in a 3-1 Premier League win at Burnley, and finished the campaign with a league-high 18 assists - although 15 of those came within his first 21 appearances.
Since returning to the Premier League, only Ozil (23) has more assists than Fabregas' 22, and no player has attempted, or completed, more passes in the English top flight this season.
Fabregas' return of four goals and four assists from 31 Premier League appearances this season, however, has done little to stem the tide of discontent from certain sections of the Chelsea faithful.
It could be argued that he is a victim of his own success, or that his connections to Arsenal make him an easier target than the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar, who would surely be the first to admit they have failed to replicate the form of seasons past - they have a combined nine goals and assists in the league this season.
After all, Fabregas is one of the division's all-time top creative talents.
The pessimism directed at Fabregas from the terraces earlier this season was as much down to his perceived contribution in Mourinho's demise as it was to his form, although under Guus Hiddink, he has flourished in comparison.
Since arriving at Chelsea in June 2014, the diminutive Spaniard has either scored or assisted goals against every side currently above them in the Premier League table, barring one - Manchester City.
He does have a particularly strong record against City throughout his career, and scored in successive Premier League home wins for Arsenal in 06/07 and 07/08.
This Premier League campaign will be one both Chelsea and Manchester City will be pleased to consign to the history books. Both have new faces in the hot-seat for next season, and De Bruyne is undoubtedly one of the few players who can feel secure of his place in Pep Guardiola's re-shuffled pack at the Etihad next season.
Fabregas' struggles over the last 14 months mean his place in Antonio Conte's Chelsea squad come August is less assured, and he will need to maintain his recent improvements to ensure he doesn't become another expensive acquisition of Roman Abramovich that doesn't fulfil their substantial price tag.
Watch Chelsea v Man City live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Saturday Night Football from 5pm.
