Cole Palmer is expected to slot straight into the attack despite having minimal pre-season minutes courtesy of his Euro 2024 adventure with England.
And Chelsea's talisman could be joined by in-form Christopher Nkunku and summer signing Pedro Neto.
However, captain Reece James is suspended for three matches having picked up a red card in last season's Premier League finale - the full-back is also injured so he would have missed out regardless.
Chelsea's pre-season tour left a lot to be desired with a 3-0 victory over Club America their only win during the preparations.
A 2-2 draw with League One outfit Wrexham and a 4-1 battering at the hands of Celtic were particularly concerning for Enzo Maresca's side.
City will be buoyed, not only by Chelsea's shocking pre-season efforts, but also by their Community Shield success at Wembley last weekend.
Guardiola's side didn't look their strongest against neighbours Man Utd, relying on a late equaliser from Bernardo Silva to force an ultimately fruitful penalty shootout.
However, City started a stripped-backed side with four academy graduates in the starting XI.
Expect Pep to strengthen for the start of the Premier League campaign.
Chelsea and Man City go head to head in the Premier League's first real heavyweight clash today.
It doesn't get much tougher than this as far as first games go, with new Blues boss Enzo Maresca having to navigate a bout with four-in-a-row champions Man City at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca, having never taken charge of a Premier League game before, will be hoping his bloated squad can turn it on against former colleague Pep Guardiola.
The Italian worked alongside Pep at Man City, learning his craft and earning his stripes before venturing out to be a manager himself.
Now a Hollywood script-like welcome to Premier League management awaits him for his first competitive game in charge of the Blues since taking over from Mauricio Pochettino.
But it wouldn't be Hollywood without a star-studded cast, so naturally Chelsea have splashed the cash this summer brining in big names such as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Pedro Neto.
However, their pre-season preparations have felt a little low-budget rather than box-office smash, with the London club winning only one of their six warm up friendlies.
