Popular Post! Rmpr 8,977 Posted October 29, 2013 Popular Post! Share Posted October 29, 2013 The MatchChelsea travel to north London to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the Capital One Cup just 48 hours after getting a massive win against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.Both teams head into this game in good form - Arsenal having won 11 of their 15 competitive matches this season and Chelsea unbeaten in their last 8, winning 7 of those - and they will want to keep up the winning momentum as well as using this clash to make a statement of their own.The Blues and the Gunners have a fiercely rivalry, and if that wasn’t enough, the rivalry of Mourinho vs Wenger will certainly add the necessary spice to make this fixture a must watch to all football fans around the country. Both managers have had public spats with one another in the past with the Portuguese manager branded his counterpart a ‘voyeur’ in 2005 for constantly talking about his Chelsea side though Mourinho was keen to point out that the rivalry has since abated and improvement in relationship between the two in the summer.This is definitely the game to watch this midweek. Whoever wins advances and kills the other team chances to win the first trophy of the season!About the OppositionArsenal finally spent during the transfer window. It came with nothing less than Ozil, who is probably the current best CAM of the world. Wenger opened the wallet and is already seeing the positive returns on doing so. They not only top the league by two points after 9 games (something that does not happen for a long, long time), but they have actually played very well.Nevertheless, it will all be in vain if the Gunners don’t bring a trophy home after 8 seasons without one. And winning the Capital One Cup is the easiest and fastest way of doing so…Arsene hinted he will make changes to the lineup. “The team will be a mixture, with some players who are at the moment not getting they need and deserve, and also one or two youngsters”, he told SkySports.Even though most starters (Giroud, Ozil, Ramsey, etc) will be rested for their next weekend duty against Liverpool, Arsenal still got some dangerous weapons to use. Their players in the level are capable of doing enough damage, even to a team like Chelsea.Players to watch1) Wilshere has once again returned from injury, the Englishman is a powerhouse and can either attack or defend at a very high level; like a gear in a motor engine, whenever he is in shape and plays well, the whole team benefits from it.2) Cazorla will likely get more playing and will be the man responsible for all the creativity, his ability to see through defenses and pass with extreme precision will be decisive to the final result.3) The Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner could make his first Arsenal start since March 2011 following loan spells at Sunderland and Juventus. Bendtner was close to exiting Arsenal in the summer, but he will want to prove he can still be part of that squad and will be looking to scoring some goals in order to do so.4) Gnabry. The kid is talented and fast, very fast. With Walcott out due to injury, he will take on that counter-attacking/ break through role on the right wing and will be very important to Arsenal. If he lives up to the hype, he can be the quality back-up winger they so much need.5) Vermaelen, Koscielny and Fabianski are not exactly one player, but they all represent the suspicious Arsenal defense and will have to not compromise the team and take care of special players like Mata, Willian and Eto’o. Those three could end up in the headlines after the game, for good or for worse.The system will be the same old 4-3-3 Wenger have adapted ever since before Henry’s time. Not much needs to be said about it (as many people already know how it works and we have an article about it), but it could help in the chemistry aspect of it as their players are more than used to it.Problems: Diaby, Flamini, Podolski, Walcott and Chamberlain are injured; Arteta is suspended dues to his red card against Crystal Palace.Team NewsThe Blues will try to repeat the 2-1 victory they obtained last time they played in the Gunners away from Stamford Bridge. For that, Jose Mourinho’s side will use a reserve and hungry starting eleven!The Portuguese has emphatically stated he won’t be using the same players he did on Sunday, making space for many quality players who haven’t had many chances to impress the new coach. The likes of Eto’o, Willian, KDB, Essien and Azipilicueta will have a big opportunity to shine in a big stage and try to increase their ranks in the squad…Mourinho will continue to approach the game on a 4-2-3-1 with a lot of tactical discipline by his players. Everyone will have to defend and press high. But that will also lead to good possession quick deadly attacks and counters.Players to watch:1) Essien and Mikel will give a good protection to the defensive system, freeing the attackers from most of their back track obligation. Such a thing will be more than decisive, especially for Mata. The Spaniard Wizard will try to replicate his amazing performances against the North Londoners he had in previous seasons. 2)2) Eto’o will have to keep his latest form, take advantage from having three great attacking players playing behind him and score. It will be very important that our striker score goals (like in the last three games).3) Azipilicueta and Bertrand will need to protect the flanks, Arsenal attacks with speed and width; so it will be crucial to have solid performances from our full backs.4) But most importantly, Kevin de Bruyne will have the chance to show his value to the Special One. A huge promise for the 2014 World Cup, the Belgian star has fallen short in the picking order and will have to take his place back by playing close to his best. With so much competition, he won’t have many more chances against good teams to impress. If he doesn’t play very well, his days at Chelsea might be closer to an end than everyone thought.All in all, the team is in an excellent sequence and everyone will hope (and work hard) to continue that. The players will be hungry to impress the boss and the fans will be lound and clear from the away stands. The chances are not small for Chelsea to advance in the cup!!!Problems: Marco van Ginkel injured for the season.Probable Lineups:Arsenal (4-3-3): Szcesny; Monreal, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Jenkison; Wilshere, Rosicky, Carzola; Gnabri, Bender, MiyaichiChelsea (4-2-3-1): Schwarzer; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Bertrand; Mikel, Essien; Willian, Mata, KDB; Eto’oStats and Facts1. Jose Mourinho is unbeaten in 8 competitive matches against Arsene Wenger - W4 D4.2. Chelsea have faced Arsenal five times in the history of this competition with the Blues holding the edge having won 3 and lost 2 of those encounters and those three victories came in the last three meetings between the sides including the 2007 final.3. Chelsea have lost only four of their last 23 meetings with Arsenal in all competitions - W13, D6, L4. (via BBC)4. The Gunners have won nine of their last 10 home League Cup ties, scoring 29 times. (via BBC)5. They have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight matches in this competition, a sequence that began with defeat to Birmingham in the 2011 final. (via BBC)6. Chelsea have won this competition 4 times in history. Only Liverpool and Aston Villa have won more - 8 and 5 respectively.7. Juan Mata has scored 3 goals and assisted 2 in 4 appearances against Arsenal in all competitions.Betting Odds (Full Time)Arsenal Win – 17/4Draw – 12/5Chelsea Win – 6/4(Odds obtained from SkyBet)TVDepending on where you are from, you can watch the match in the following channels:United Kingdom: Sky Sports 1 Ireland, Sky Sport 1/HD, Sky Go UK, BBC Radio 5 LiveUnited States: beIN Sport Play, beIN Sport USAMiddle East: Al Jazeera SportsBrazil: ESPN + Adina, ESPN + SurIndia: Ten ActionIf your country is not listed above, then you can check out the TV Schedule for the match here.There should also be many match streams that can be found online if your local sports channels are not broadcasting the game or if you happen to be busy and cannot catch the game live, follow TalkChelsea on Twitter as it would provide live match commentary on the action.Click here to view the article GeeMon, The Skipper, Stingray and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS 382 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Very informative. Rmpr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara 15,149 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Great article, Rapha Rmpr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVL 119 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Great article looking forward to the match tonight.. 1-3. Rmpr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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