City looking forward to Chelsea challenge

London: Manchester City's summer may have been one of lavish spending, but their start to the season has been marked by miserliness.

Their record of conceding just twice in eight competitive games, though, faces no greater threat than from Chelsea's visit to Eastlands on Saturday.

The Premier League's immovable object is about to meet its unstoppable force. Kolo Toure, for one, is under no illusions as to the scale of the task awaiting his side.

Carlo Ancelotti's team have already registered 21 goals in the league this term after a kind opening run of fixtures and although the Ivorian defender insists all Chelsea players should be considered dangerous, it is clear Didier Drogba occupies his mind most.

Toure, of course, knows the 32 year-old well from international duty and believes the striker, rather than fading after six prolific years in England, is better now than he has ever been.

"All he thinks about is scoring goals," Toure said.

"But this season he is passing well and making a lot of assists, too. That makes him a much better player. It seems as though he is getting better with age, because he is so intelligent. He has had to change his game, and he knows he needs more help from his teammates now," Toure added.

"We are going to have to defend really well as a team to stop him."

Few teams are as well equipped to do that as City. They have conceded just a fortuitous Nikola Kalinic strike and a last-minute Darren Bent penalty this season. Such are the benefits of an Italian coach.

"It is going really well. Roberto Mancini wants us to work hard on it every day. We are defending as a team, we are really tight as a unit and we work really hard for each other," Toure said.