PREVIEW: Chelsea vs Arsenal

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

There are few matches in the Premier League these days that stoke the coals of the many football supporters alike as Chelsea versus Arsenal. This match seems to always have a few surprises and I dont anticipate this match being any different with both teams wanting to prove a point to the opposition. Its the battle of the last two undefeated clubs in the Premier League as Chelsea host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on tomorrow.

With both teams involved in midweek European clashes, the potential is there for the team that starts the brightest to get ahead in the early portions of the game. Chelsea travelled to Lisbon on Tuesday and put in a solid yet nervy performance that saw them escape the capital with a 1-0 victory. Meanwhile, Arsenal played host to Galatasaray on Wednesday in a game where they made short work of the Turkish champions winning 4-1. So Chelsea travelled whereas Arsenal didnt, Chelsea however, will have the extra day to rest having played on Tuesday.

OPPOSITION SCOUTING

Arsenal havent gotten off to the best of starts this year yet they still remain undefeated having played Everton, Man City, Tottenham and Leicester City to score draws and beating Crystal Palace and Aston Villa 2-1 and 3-0 respectively. They are a possession-based team who like to push many bodies forward to create overloads in the wide areas. At their best, Arsenal will move the ball quickly and accurately with one-two touch precision while slipping well weighted through balls to on rushing attacking mids or strikers. They will look to get in behind teams with the pace they possess, Welbeck will drift, Chamberlain is direct and Sanchez is crafty. This season has proven them to be a resilient group having rescued 5pts from losing positions already. If they have weaknesses it will appear in depth, where they seem to always have 1st team regulars out with injuries, and also in overall team defense. They struggle mightily defending set pieces, keeping clean sheets and are susceptible to counters.

While they can look brilliant going forward, the midfield lacks a true anchor to build attacks from. Rarely do we see the likes of Arteta, Wilshere or to a lesser extent Ramsey, win a ball or break up the opposition counters with a saving tackle. It is for this reason why many believe Arsenal, though still very dangerous, arent well equipped to win the league. Well, that and the fact they have so many walking wounded. On count now Arsenal will be without Ramsey, Walcott, Arteta, Debuchy, Giroud and possibly Diaby(a forgotten man for sure) with Wilshere less than 100% it becomes very hard to compete on all fronts with less than a full squad. What they do have is minimal drop off from the preferred XI and the squad players. The likes of Cazorla, Chamberlain, Podolski, Flamini and Welbeck have provided decent cover for the injured players.

TEAM NEWS

Chelsea Do have ongoing fitness issues with the goal pig, Diego Costa. He has ruled himself fit to play on Sunday but its hard not to consider him a day-to-day worry. Ramires will be out nursing a groin and his presence in the midfield will be missed. Didier Drogba, to the delight of Arsenal fans, will also be out with an ankle issue. The only question mark in the XI is who starts as the right-sided attacker? Schurrle has been struggling mightily the past few games but he did score against Arsenal in the 6-0 drubbing. Willian seems to be the best option on current form he works hard and is producing with more efficiency than Schurrle.

Predicted Lineup 4-2-3-1 GK Courtois, RB Ivanovic, CB Cahill, CB Terry©, LB Azpilicueta, CM Fabregas, CM Matic, AM Hazard, AM Oscar, AM Willian, CF Costa.

Arsenal As I mentioned in the opposition scouting Arsenal are banged up right now but that shouldnt prevent them from fielding a team capable of getting a result. Out for sure will be Giroud, Debuchy, Ramsey, Walcott, Arteta and Monreal. It is likely Wilshere will play with an outside chance of maybe Diaby getting back into the squad due to lack of numbers. The XI pretty much picks itself because of injuries, Wenger doesnt really deviate from the style he likes to play either so I would expect a similar lineup to the one that played Wednesday with Wilshere coming back into the side.

Predicted Lineup 4-1-4-1 GK Szczesny, RB Chambers, CB Mertesacker©, CB Koscielny, LB Gibbs, DM Flamini, AM Chamberlain, AM Ozil, AM Sanchez, AM Wilshere, CF Welbeck

FOR CHELSEA TO BE SUCCESSFUL

Chelsea will have to boss the midfield in order to be victorious. The likes of Matic, Oscar and Fabregas will have to play a huge part in setting the tempo, initiating the counter when its on, playing with strength, winning second balls(Arsenal are decent winning aerial duels) and of course providing that telling ball to our advanced attackers. This wouldve been the perfect game for Ramires to feature in along side Matic If Chelsea win the battle in the midfield this game could get ugly, however, if they fail to do any of these things effectively it could be another nail biter.

FOR ARSENAL TO BE SUCCESSFUL

Arsenal will need to try and take advantage of the pace they have in attacking areas and look to get in behind Cahill and Terry with diagonal runs. Chamberlain is usually a north-south guy and could be used as a decoy to get Welbeck isolated against one of our defenders. If that happens with any sort of regularity it will leave Sanchez open to use his attacking guile to slice open a few chances. What they cant do is lose the ball in the middle 3rd of the pitch. That will lead to a lightning quick counter with one of Europes most feared strikers testing that backline.

Match Day Referee Martin Atkinson

Chelseas record with Atkinson: 27 games 22 wins 4 draws 1 loss

Arsenals last two games with Atkinson: 0-3 to Everton, 3-6 to Man City

STATS

-Diego Costa: 8 goals, 16 shots on target, 25 shots in total

-Arsenals record after European midweeks (2012 till now) 13 wins - 6 draws 2 losses

-Chelsea have played Arsenal 80 times at Stamford Bridge winning 28, drawing 26, losing 26

-Jose Mourinho has never lost to Arsenal 7 wins, 5 draws

ODDS

You'd be hard pressed to find many football betting tips pointing the way of an Arsenal win at Stamford Bridge, with the last Gunners triumph coming in 2011 - whilst Arsene Wenger has yet to taste victory in matches against Blues boss José Mourinho. SkyBet are offering Arsenal at 18/5, whilst Chelsea are well-priced at 4/6. The draw is a worthwhile punt at 13/5.

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[CHOULO19 24,332]

*bump*

[Chelsea Legend 11 4,062]

I quite enjoyed that! Can I do another?

[CHOULO19 24,332]

I quite enjoyed that! Can I do another?

Haha. Anytime you want!