Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville is predicting a stalemate when Chelsea take on Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday evening.

The former Manchester United defender says the Blues have looked impressive this season when they have faced bigger teams and he is expecting them to get a draw at Stamford Bridge:

“To be honest with you I think Chelsea will do alright against Manchester City. In a couple of games I’ve seen at Stamford Bridge, they’ve done alright against big teams. Against Arsenal and Liverpool, they were really good. I’ll go 1-1.”

It’s a somewhat surprising prediction from Neville, considering Mauricio Pochettino’s side have already lost to Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Brentford at home this campaign, but he is not the only pundit who believes Chelsea will get something from the game.

Merson is also backing Chelsea to secure a point

In his column for Sportskeeda, fellow Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has gone with the exact same scoreline (1-1) for the match this weekend.

Merson predicted that Chelsea would win their last fixture against Tottenham, and he was proven right, but he doesn’t believe there is any chance of them getting a victory versus City.

Guardiola has been full of praise for Pochettino’s men

Despite a very disappointing start to the season, there is increasing optimism that Chelsea are moving in the right direction. It is a sentiment that City boss Pep Guardiola agrees with.

The Spaniard went as far as to say that the Blues could soon be a “top contender”, suggesting that a title challenge is not out of the question in the next few years, considering the sheer amount of talent present in the first-team squad.

It’s probably wise for fans to not look too far ahead, though, with the focus simply being on getting a result on Sunday.