CHELSEA Vs MAN CITY

The encounter between Chelsea and Manchester City this weekend promises to be a fascinating contest between the two best teams in the Barclays Premier League. As we look forward to the showdown at Stamford Bridge, every day this week premierleague.com will be taking a closer look at the main protagonists in this top-of-the-table duel.

"Costa gives Chelsea a physical presence up front they haven't had since Didier Drogba was in his prime a few years ago"
Kevin Kilbane

Today we compare the considerable virtues of the clubs', and the league's, leading goalscorers, Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero.

Costa has needed no time to acclimatise to the rigours of the English top flight after arriving from Atletico Madrid in the close season. The Spain forward has delighted in the service provided for him by a Chelsea midfield embellished by the creative flair of fellow summer signing Cesc Fabregas, using his power, aggression and eye for goal to streak to the top of the scorers’ charts with 17 goals from 19 BPL appearances.

"In terms of purely goalscoring he is second to none - 17 goals in 19 matches speaks for itself," Kevin Kilbane, the ex-Everton midfielder, told premierleague.com. "He also gives Chelsea a physical presence up front they haven't had since Didier Drogba was in his prime a few years ago. Costa is very good in the air, he is deceptively quick and he also loves the physical side of the Premier League, and that is why so many supporters like to watch him play."

When compared with Aguero, a former Atletico Madrid team-mate, who is second in the scorers' standings with 14 goals, Costa boasts a superior shooting accuracy (72% to Aguero's 58%) and a more clinical shots-to-goal conversion rate of 37% (Aguero 23%).

COSTA V AGUERO
Costa	BPL stats	Aguero
19	Appearances	17
19	Starts	14
17	Goals scored	14
1602	Minutes played	1166
94.24	Minutes per goal	83.29
33	Shots on target	35
13	Shots off target	25
71.74%	Shooting accuracy	58.33%
36.96%	Shots-to-goal conversion rate	23.33%
2	Assists	3
33	Chances created (incl. assists)	16

For Kilbane, though, it is Costa's work-rate that sets him apart from the pack.

"You can be mistaken for thinking he's not involved at times but he gives you the ability to run off defenders," he said. "Even if he isn't touching the ball or being involved in the build-up play he's running the opposite way to free up space for Hazard, Fabregas, Willian or Oscar."

It should be noted when comparing the two that Aguero has played 436 fewer minutes than Costa, yet still has had more shots. Indeed the Argentinian scores more frequently, finding the net every 83 minutes, compared with Costa's 94.

Also, when in peak form the City striker has the ability to score in flurries, regardless of the opposition, as evidenced by his four goals against Tottenham Hotspur in October, or his hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League in November.

GOALS BREAKDOWN
Costa	Types of goal	Aguero
5	Left-footed	4
10	Right-footed	10
2	Headers	0
17	Goals inside area	13
0	Goals outside area	1
0	Penalty goals	2

Aguero is a very different striker to his Chelsea counterpart. Smaller and less physically imposing than the more athletic Costa, the Argentina forward does not offer the abrasiveness or aerial threat of the Blues' striker, who has scored two headed goals this term to Aguero's none, but he has a level of mobility that frightens defenders.

"Because of Sergio's stature and his change of direction, he is, for the modern centre-back now, he is virtually unplayable"
Owen Hargreaves

"I remember playing with him in training and you could see how good he was," Owen Hargreaves, the former Man City midfielder, told premierleague.com. "It is laughable to think anybody is going to mark this guy in the box. You can't because of his low centre of gravity, his quick change of direction.

"If you're a 6ft 2in centre-back, which most are, it is impossible to stay with Sergio, unless you're Usain Bolt – and he probably couldn't even cope. Because of Sergio's stature and his change of direction, he is, for the modern centre-back, virtually unplayable."

In truth there is little to choose between these two strikers. Costa has scored more goals, offers a greater aerial threat and has a better fitness record than Aguero this season, while City's leading marksman scores more frequently, can find the net from greater distance and, as his title-winning goal against Queens Park Rangers proved in May 2012, is capable of rising to the occasion when it matters most.