Focus Fixture: Chelsea to shock Arsenal at the Bridge

Chelsea host Arsenal on Saturday evening, a London derby that rose in prominence along with the growth of the Premier League. Due to their success under Arsene Wenger, the Gunners were to be shot at, winning Premier League titles, FA Cups and doubles.

This is exactly what the Blues did, fueled by the wealth of a Russian Oligarch’s wealth just after the turn of the century, Chelsea forced themselves into contention, splashing the cash on top talent and hiring and firing managers at will.  

The heady days of Ray Parlour, Patrick Viera, Thierry Henry, Gianfranco Zola and Gus Poyet were replaced by battles between Ashley Cole, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie. 

The rivalry was reginited by Jose Mourinho and Wengers fractious feud, props to the special one who’s opposite number was on the cusp of a pension at the time. Can’t accuse him of ageism. 

Mourinho had the better of his opposite number across two spells at Chelsea, he did not lose a single one of the 11 clashes with Wenger. The Blues certainly had the upper hand over Arsenal up until recently, only losing six of the 33 meetings from 2004 to 2017. 

Mikel Arteta has certainly turned the tide. His side now head across London as favourites and will be brimming with confidence following their victory over Manchester City before the international break. 

The Spanish supremo’s side do look better equipped for the title this campaign, with the acquisitions of Kai Havertz, Declan Rice, the latter sparkling in that victory at the Emirates in the absence of both Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne though. 

The Blues are rank outsiders, against a fellow member of the ‘big six’, in a game at Stamford Bridge? It does not seem right, especially considering Ted Boehly had pumped £1b into the club since his arrival.

The Runners and Riders

Potentially as many as 12 players unavailable on top of a massive squad makes it difficult to keep track of who can play for Chelsea but we have a pretty clear idea of who will play on Saturday. 

Conor Gallagher, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caiceedo should oppose Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Fabio Viera in an intriguing battle for control in the middle of the park. 

There is also competition for places upfront at both ends of the pitch. Nicholas Jackson’s suspension in Chelsea’s game against Fulham coupled with a Armando Broja goal threatened to dislodge Chelsea’s Columbian import starting spot upfront. A poor performance against Burnley and a knock for Broja should see Jackson get the nod Saturday and he will be in for a battle against William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes who shunned Erling Haaland at the Emirates. 

As for Arsenal, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus have been grappling for the nine, the Brazilian looks set to get the nod at Stamford Bridge, flanked by his compatriot Gabriel Martinelli and Bakayo Sake, the pair have also recently recovered from injuries.   

What they said

“Having consistency and keeping the standards high because the game against Chelsea is going to be even harder,” said Arteta implying this clash at Stamford Bridge is a tougher game then their last fixture against treble winners Man City. 

Pochettino said: 'It was a shame because we wanted to keep the momentum and now it’s about building another momentum. But I think we are confident, the team is confident, the players have a different mood than one month ago

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Chelsea have only won 31 points over the last calendar year, that is the second lowest total of any top flight side excluding promoted and relegated sides. 

For a second last season, it genuinely looked like they were sleep walking towards the relegation zone.

That poor form seems to have seeped into this campaign, 11 points from a possible 24, but scratch the surface a little and the Blues are not nearly as bad as the results suggest. 

According to the underlying data, the table is lying. Maurichio Pochettino’s side have generated 15.2 xG (scored 11), missed 17 big chances (second) and could be as high 4th. 

These statistics are useful but useless without context and having watched a fair bit the Blues, it is clear to see that they have been unfortunate. A combination of wasteful finishing and poor defending is to blame. 

The West Londoners may have turned a corner. The Blues went into the international break with a flourish, hitting Burnley for four at Turf Moor. 

The squad was revenged by players reporting for international duty but with key personnel returning with a clean bill of health there will be genuine belief amongst the home camp that they can get a result and at the prices available, they are certainly backable. 

Chelsea do not have the welcome burden of European duty this campaign, Arsenal on the other hand have a game at Sevilla on the horizon. 

After the Gunners lost at Lens, it muddied the waters in Group B. They were heavily odds on to win in France and after victory over PSV on Champions League matchday one another win would have put them in pole position to qualify for the knockout stages. It would've allowed Arteta the luxury to rotate on Tuesday and go as strong as he likes at Stamford Bridge. Now, the Arsenal boss must perform a bit of a balancing act across these two fixtures and that will only bode well for the hosts here. 

Recommended Bet

Back Chelsea to win, BTTS and over 2.5 goals @ 6.0