Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has vowed to attack Premier League champions Chelsea at Eastlands this afternoon.

The rivals renew hostilities as City look to maintain their strong start to the campaign by securing a win that would take them five points clear of the Blues after two games.

Both league meetings last season ended 1-1, and the Chilean expects his Portuguese counterpart to adopt a defensive mentality synonymous with Mourinho's Chelsea.

"I don't think it will be a very attacking game," he told reporters. "In the games that we played against them they never attacked. They defend with a lot of players in their box, but they are a very dangerous team on the counter-attack.

"We will attack, as always. We will play the way that we always do because we think that is the best way for us to win. That does not mean that we cannot defend, that we cannot play as a defensive team in the moments when we are struggling. But it should not be our intention from the beginning to score only one goal and try to finish the game.

"Here, we continue to play in the way that we think is the best. My way of thinking, as managers, we must take care of the Premier League. There are so many fans that want to see the games or watch on TV and I don't like my team to just score one goal and then go backwards until the game is finished."

Pellegrini's men opened their 2015-16 season with a convincing 3-0 win at West Bromwich Albion, while 10-man Chelsea, who will miss goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois through suspension, drew 2-2 with Swansea City.