It’s a massive London derby! Both these two teams have been there and there about so far this season – with Arsenal obviously competing at the very heights of the league.
For the fan among us – this promises to have every bit of dramatic detail. The history, the players and the fans all wanting to ensure they come away with bragging rights. But for the purist, these two managers also offer a subtle intrigue of approach – enjoy it!
To Win (90 mins)
Chelsea 33/20
Draw 47/20
Arsenal 17/10
Chelsea
Graham Potter’s return to Brighton – the club he contributed to in such a glorious way – was anything but glorious. Chelsea was well beaten 4-1 at the Amex, but even more concerning than the loss was the way they lost…
They were completely outplayed in the early stages of the game and just could not handle the attacking prowess of Brighton. Yes, you could say the Brighton players would have been up for it and wanted the win badly, but you don’t go nine games unbeaten with Chelsea only to see it crashing down within 45 minutes, writes Ryan Liberty.
The Blues had European duty at home to Dinamo Zagreb in midweek and given that they had already secured first spot in their group, that might explain the slight rotation we saw. However, there is rotation forced on Graham Potter…Wesley Fofana, Kalidou
Koulibaly and Reece James are all sidelined due to injury and the defensive insecurity of that backline might give Arsenal a sniff of blood in the water.
Arsenal will certainly want to capitalize on any opportunity that comes their way, Chelsea will know this. Chelsea will want to ensure the game isn’t lost early on (especially playing at home) and Arsenal will certainly know that. It really could explode into a manic game of football!
Arsenal
I know enough has already been made of it, but Arsenal have been fantastic so far this season. Their reaction to last season, where they fell short of the Champions League places to Spurs, and the general inconsistency of performance has been well put to bed.
Arsenal have shown they can be beaten though, and with City not going anywhere, these next few games between now and the World Cup are going to be incredibly decisive. If they are truly trying to compete for the title – albeit early on – they simply must finish the first half of the season the way they started it.
I think this game is a lot closer than people are suggesting, and for various reasons. Yes, Arsenal have been largely consistent, but they have also shown they can be flat (think back to that PSV game). They have been very aggressive in possession, and yet also susceptible to a counter-attacking approach (think back to that United game).
Chelsea have not been bad under Graham Potter, and to suggest they have is incorrect. Yes, they were well beaten last time out in the league, but you don’t know throw out the entire book because one page is stained. This is a London derby – form is out the window, and anything can happen.
Predicted Line-ups:
Chelsea: Kepa; Cucurella, Silva, Chalobah; Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Sterling, Pulisic; Havertz, Mount, Aubameyang.
Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Magalhaes, Tomiyasu; Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Jesus.
Prediction: Arsenal/Draw + BTTS (13/10)
There is incredible value in this prediction. Arsenal is certainly the better side, and I can’t see them losing to be fair, but even with the safer option of the Double Chance, I don’t think we are losing too much value.
Enjoy all of the subtle storylines at play in this clash, but at 13/10 you can afford to have some skin in the game as well!
