Premier League is back and so is our entertainment on weekend. What can be better than the North London Derby, which is known to be played between Arsenal and Chelsea? Two sides have rejuvenated their teams and will look forward to taking 3 points to be in the league. Emirates Stadium hosts Chelsea in the second game week of the English Premier League 2020/21 season.
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Why Should You be Watching?
There are 6 London teams in the Premiership but of all the London derbies in the league, one of the most looked up to is that between the Blues and the Gunners. Last season, the only team that completed a double win over Chelsea, home and away, was Arsenal. In the last three competitive games that Chelsea has met with Arsenal, Arsenal has been victorious. But the atmosphere around Chelsea at the moment is on the high with UEFA Super cup success, a good start to the league, and nominations for UEFA awards. Meanwhile, that of Arsenal is currently damped after a colossal failure against a newly promoted side in the league. But whenever Chelsea and Arsenal meet, you can always expect the unexpected.
Build Up
Arsenal is in the “rebuilding mode” as Arteta is trying to bring Arsenal back to the European Stage. The UEFA Champions League but it looks like they hit a brick after their first game of the season losing to the League’s newcomer in a devastating way. One game cannot conclude how Arsenal will look like this season but a much upward movement will be expected of them. Ahead of the Chelsea game, Arsenal has a lot of key players who will be absent for the game.
Thomas Partey, Gabriel, and Nketiah are ruled out of the match on the injury. Martin Odegaard won’t be able to play for Arsenal due to visa issues. Meanwhile, Lacazette, Willian, and Aubameyang could all miss the fixture due to COVID-19. A huge responsibility will rest upon their young players to step up for the game against Chelsea. Two losses at the start of the season could be disastrous for the team morale.
The long-awaited return of Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea was completed recently. There is the possibility of him debuting against Arsenal on Sunday. Lukaku could not meet up with the first game of the season against London neighbors, Crystal Palace but is available for selection against another of their neighbors, Arsenal. Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek recently tested positive for COVID-19. Hakim Ziyech and N’golo Kante participated in training as Thomas Tuchel says the final decision whether they are fit enough to start against Arsenal has not been made.
Head to Head
Arsenal completed a double against Chelsea last season in the premier league. In 58 premier league meetings, Arsenal has won 22 with Chelsea victorious in 19.
Predicted Lineups
Arsenal
Formation : 4-2-3-1
GK- Leno
Defense- Chambers, White, Mari, Tierney
CDM- Xhaka Looking
Attack- Saka, Smith Rowe, Pepe
ST- Martinelli
Chelsea
Formation: 3-4-3
GK-Mendy
Defence- Chalobah, Andreas Christensen, Rüdiger
Midfield- Reece James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso
Attack- Havertz, Lukaku, Mount
Players to Watch Out For
Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea’s most expensive signing, Romelu Lukaku, is expected to make his debut in his second spell at Chelsea against Arsenal. Last season, Chelsea was poor at converting the chances that they created. It was clear that they were missing a target man which made getting a Striker their major target for the summer. Lukaku has been a consistent goal scorer over the last few years since his revelation at Everton. He proved again his prowess at Inter Milan as he led the team to the Scudetto with incredible statistics. No one would judge Lukaku based on one game against Arsenal but imagine the scenes if Lukaku scores for Chelsea again.
Marcus Alonso
After the Super Cup game and Crystal Palace game, it will be very difficult for Thomas Tuchel to bench Marcus Alonso. The attacking width he offers in the Left Wing Back position as well as him getting into the box at the right time is just incredible. His superb freekick against Crystal Palace is just the icing on the cake.
Arsenal
Ben White
The 50 million Euro defender has to prove he is worth all the money spent on him. Big money signings have to turn up and run the show on a big day. Ben White would be expected to withstand Chelsea attackers, especially the new signing, Romelu Lukaku. Can Ben White be the Van Dijk of Liverpool or Ruben Dias of Man City?
Martinelli
Martinelli was the one who carried the Gunners attack in the 2019-20 season when Auba missed some games due to illness, but Martinelli missed most of the last season due to injury. His solo goal vs Chelsea was the goal of the season for Arsenal. Where Arsenal are missing both Lacazette and Aubameyang, Martinelli will be the perfect no.9 as Nketiah is out. Source from inside also says he trained as No.9 this Matchweek. Fans think of a positive response from this young lad on his new role.
Conclusion
Arsenal has a lot of key players missing this fixture but Arteta claims to have a game plan to stop Chelsea. We would have to wait and see what Arteta has in stock for Chelsea. Meanwhile, Chelsea is riding on a high and would look to ride over Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. It will be a tantalizing encounter.
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