In fairness to the former Napoli manager, he stressed throughout the heady days of early Autumn that Chelsea were not equipped to challenge City for the title and ahead of Saturday's clash between the sides a 10-point gap has opened up.
Twenty four hours later Chelsea went down 2-1 at Wolves - their second defeat in three Premier League games.
On Tuesday, Pep Guardiola's City maintained a searing pace at the top with a win against Watford.
They can win the Champions League."
It has taken less than two weeks for the optimism generated by a 12-match unbeaten start to Maurizio Sarri's reign at Stamford Bridge to fizzle out and this weekend the Italian faces his biggest test to date when Manchester City visit.
Third-placed Tottenham will also have a massive Champions League night on their minds when they travel to Leicester City on Saturday evening. For more news relating to Spurs, visit our sister site Spurs Live.
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