Tonight sees Chelsea and Arsenal battle it out at Stamford Bridge as Arsenal look to ‘mount’ (I apologise) a top four challenge, whilst Chelsea will hope to put some daylight between themselves and the chasing pack. But, as respective club legends as players battle it out on their new-found place on the touchline, who will have the bragging rights come full-time?
Recent Form
Chelsea arrive at this fixture in mixed form, having won 2 (Arsenal A, Burnley H), lost 2 (Southampton H, Newcastle A) and drawn 1 (Brighton A) of their last 5 league games. Arsenal have shown signs of improvements under new manager Mikel Arteta, but have still struggled to find the crucial wins they need as they’ve won just 1 (Man United) of their last 5 games, drawing 3 (Bournemouth A, Palace A, Sheff Utd H) and losing 1 (Chelsea H).
But what’s been going wrong for both sides? For the Gunners, letting leads slip, wasting chances and defensive lapses have been the key factors in taking just 6 points from a possible 15 under Arteta. Chelsea, on the other hand, seem a totally different side when playing sides lower down in the table who are happy to set up shop and wait for their moment, failing to score against the likes of West Ham, Bournemouth and Southampton at home recently.
Expected Lineups
I expect Chelsea to match Arsenal’s 4-2-3-1 formation, with:
Kepa
James – Christensen – Rudiger – Azpilicueta
Kovacic – Jorginho
Willian – Mount – Odoi
Abraham
With Aubameyang still suspended for Arsenal, I expect:
Leno
AMN – Sokratis – Luiz – Saka
Xhaka – Torreira
Pepe – Ozil – Martinelli
Lacazette
The biggest match-up in the game for me is Reece James and Willian on the right hand side against the inexperienced and defensively fragile Saka and Martinelli. I expect James to be a constant threat on the overlap and think it’ll be too much for young Bukayo to handle, Reece James assist for a Tammy Abraham goal is one of my predictions.
Predictions
In terms of bookings, I expect another feisty affair. Arsenal’s most booked players (card to game ratio) this season are Sokratis, Lacazette, AMN and Saka. Chelsea’s most booked players this season are Jorginho, Kovacic and Rudiger.
I think Lampard’s Chelsea will edge this one 2-1 (15-2), a repeat of the reverse score-line, with goals from Tammy Abraham (5/6) , Jorginho (7/2) & Martinelli (7/2). Bookings for Sokratis, Saka & Jorginho (28-1). All odds taken from SkyBet.
The Football Times 