INTRODUCTION
Premier League winners are very certain now as Manchester City won their 3rd PL in 4 years. Due to this, the remaining fixtures are going to be more interesting. Teams will look to fix their position in the league and players will look to make their mark as the transfer market approaches. A Long-waiting Derby is coming towards you and it will be great to see these two teams coming forward for one last time this season. Yes, we are talking about Chelsea vs Arsenal, North vs West, London Derby coming towards you.
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Chelsea will welcome their neighbors to Stanford Bridge on Wednesday night in London. In the reverse leg, Arsenal’s is coming from a 7-game winless run that stunned Chelsea last year December. Arsenal similarly defeated Chelsea in the 2019/20 FA cup final. Can Arsenal get the better of Chelsea this time around? Or will Chelsea dominate the whole game with Tuchel’s tactical brilliance?
Why you should watch?
The rivalry between Chelsea and Arsenal doesn’t reflect the league form. Arsenal might not be in their best shape at the moment but the heat of the Derby can bring out an amazing performance we have not seen in weeks. Truth be told, despite the lackluster performance of Arsenal in recent years, they still turn up on the big occasions in the premier league and the FA cup. We have seen Arsenal beat Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, and Liverpool in the last two seasons. You had better forget the abysmal Arsenal in your heads and get ready for some thrilling encounter between these two London rivals.
Chelsea can move up to third on the log with a win over Arsenal meanwhile Arsenal will be hopeful if they can get a Europa League spot but in order to keep their hopes up, they need a win over Chelsea.
TEAM NEWS
Chelsea lost Christensen to a Tendon injury in their weekend win over Manchester City. Thomas Tuchel claimed they can only look forward to him returning in the final game of the Premiership season against Aston Villa. Kovacic is out for this fixture as he is looking forward to coming back in time for the FA Cup final against Leicester.
In the Pre-match conference, Arteta referred to some injury concerns but withheld names. Up to the moment of reporting, there has been no confirmed injury from the Gunners’ camp. Their team list is the only hope of knowing who is out or who is in for the game.
CHELSEA
Formation – 3-4-3
Mendy
Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Rudiger
Reece James, Jorginho, Kante, Marcos Alonso
Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount
ARSENAL
Formation – 4-3-3
Leno
Chambers, Rob Holding, Gabriel, Saka
Elneny, Partey, Smith-Rowe
Pepe, Aubameyang, Lacazette
Form
Chelsea (EPL): WDWWW
Chelsea (overall): WDWWW
Arsenal (EPL): WDLWW Arsenal (overall): LLWDW
Head To Head
Chelsea and Arsenal’s rivalry dates way back to the early 1900s, with the Gunners currently proving a more successful unit based on their head-to-head record. They have won 79 of the 202 matches between the pair.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has bagged 65 victories. More trophies over the last decade or so imply that the Blues have held bragging rights over their neighbors in the North. Chelsea is unbeaten in their last eight games against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
Players to watch out for
CHELSEA
Kai Havertz
He was not started against Manchester City and it’s definitely not because of his form. He was spectacular against Real Madrid. His rebound gave Werner a goal that’s impossible to miss against Real Madrid. Kai Havertz has grown in confidence under Thomas Tuchel with his most favorable position discovered. He will definitely be a menace for Arsenal if afforded space by Arsenal players.
Christian Pulisic
Pulisic has been giving dazzling performances for Chelsea. He takes on players and gets past them in a flash. He looks more confident in the box. And if the Arsenal defense is not careful, Pulisic will rip them apart. Watching Pulisic against Arsenal will bring a reminder of Hazard to the Chelsea faithful.
ARSENAL
Willian
He hasn’t lived up to expectations in the Arsenal jersey but the talent he possesses must be underrated, not even by Chelsea who benefitted from his talent for 7 years before a free transfer to Arsenal. Last weekend, he scored another of his trademark freekick against Fulham. A beauty. Can’t wait to see Willian in Stanford Bridge again.
Nicolas Pepe
The most expensive Arsenal player would be someone to watch out for. He scored a thriller against Fulham. If he is on his best form in Stanford Bridge, Chelsea will have a lot to handle coming from him.
CONCLUSION
Tuchel’s Chelsea team has a way of extinguishing every attacking threat a team has as a whole and making the game flow to their rhythm. Arsenal is another huddle in front of them. Only a win can make Chelsea climb above Leicester to the third spot. For Arsenal, only a win can enable them to put pressure on the seventh-Rowell the fans can chill over and relax and watch this game.
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