Arsenal vs Chelsea

Coming up tomorrow is the much-awaited premier league matchday 23, as two top London rivals will be locking horns for yet another premier league derby showdown.

Arsenal will be hosting Chelsea later tomorrow, a game that will be taking place as a late kickoff and it promises to be a very intense and yet exciting contest between two strong rivals this season.

Both teams had their slices of ups and downs in the premier league so far, but it is the gunners who have gotten a bigger share of downs in the premier league among the two.

Arsenal who are currently on a low after their shocking 1nil defeat away at Westham last weekend will be looking to pick themselves up again and get back to winning ways against their biggest rival this season, to try to reduce the gap to 3 points.

Chelsea on the other hand, had a tricky test against Newcastle last week but were able to narrowly come out on top with a 2-1 victory. Their game against Arsenal tomorrow will be a huge test for them if they are to extend their lead against the gunners and possible maintain their lead against Man United.

On paper, this is a much even contest, it is a derby match between two rivals, so it will be a very difficult game for both teams as they keep fighting for top 4 this season.

Arsenal vs Chelsea

Another very exciting fixture for the fans, but at the same time, it will be a very nervy one for the fans of both teams, as a loss could be very dangerous in their quest for top 4 finish this season.

This will be the second time these two sides will be meeting after the first encounter ended in a 3-2 win for Chelsea. Both teams have new managers who are in their first season in the premier league, so it will be great to see how both managers fare this time around, in a very crucial game that promises to be a very intense and exciting at the same time.

For Arsenal, they are playing at home, so it will be a huge advantage for them going into this game to try to recover from their shocking defeat last week. Nevertheless, this is a London derby encounter which is usually a very difficult game like we have seen in the past, so, this will be a very difficult game for them.

A win in this game will put them just 3 points below the top 4 and keep putting pressure on Chelsea and also stand a chance a have a lead above Man United while a loss could see them not only 9 points below the top 4, but also find themselves in 6th place and 3 points below Man United.

For Chelsea, they are going into this game knowing how difficult it is to play Arsenal at the Emirates and against a team that have so much to lose at this point. They are currently in 4th position and will try to get the win in this game to further extend their lead and boost their chances for top 4 finish this season. This game will be a very difficult game for them considering that they have issues of not scoring over 2 goals and will have to play at above 100% if they are to get the desired result out of this game.

Their main target this season is to finish in the top 4, so they will want to fight to achieve their target. A win will see them move 9 points clear above Arsenal and also stand a chance to possibly move 9 points clear above Man United as well who are also putting pressure on them, while a loss could increase the pressure more.

Recent Form – Past 6 EPL Games

For Arsenal, they have won 2 games in their last 6 matches so far, drawn 1 and lost 3. Their wins have come from home games. All their losses in these past 6 games have been away games including the draw. Their most recent loss was a 1 nil away loss to WestHam.

For Chelsea, they have 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in their last 6 games so far. Most of their victories have come from away games, with 3 away wins, and the draw and loss have been home games. Their most recent win was a 2-1 home win against Newcastle.

Recent Stats – Past 6 EPL Games

Arsenal in their past 6 games have scored 11 goals and conceded 12 goals. Over 3.5 goals have been a sure outcome of 4 games out of 6, with only 2 games having under 2.5 goals. They have scored at least 3 goals in their wins so far and have never kept a clean sheet.

Chelsea in their past 6 games have scored 7 goals and conceded 4 goals so far. They are currently finding it difficult to score more than 2 goals in these games. Over 2.5 goals have been the outcome of 3 games out of 6 while the other 3 games have been under 1.5 goals.

Head to Head/Previous 38 Encounters

Looking at their previous meetings, the most recent in the premier league this season ended in a 3-2 home win for Chelsea.

For Arsenal, they have 10 wins, 19 losses and 9 draws with an average of 1.2 goals per match in this fixture.

For Chelsea, they have won 19, lost 10 and drawn 9 with an average of 1.7 goals per match in this fixture.

My Expectations In Terms Of Tactics and Gameplay

For Arsenal, they will probably lineup in a 3-4-2-1 formation like we have seen them use most times this season. They are very good when it comes to attacking and using the speed of their front 3 to cause teams lots of problems, but they’ve not been able to keep a clean sheet for a lot of games now which shows the state of their defense at the moment. Emery will his team to focus on getting the 3 points which is what is most important for them before they figure out a way to fix their defensive issues. They are scoring a good number of goals so far which will be a huge relieve for them going into this game. They know how difficult it will be to dominate Chelsea, but will try to keep more of the ball and be on the front foot.

For Chelsea, they will probably lineup in their usual 4-3-3 formation. Sarri knows his team is finding it difficult to score many goals at the moment, but want his team to take their chances and score enough goals to get them the 3 points which is what matters the most. He will want his team to press more aggressively, dominate possession, be on the front foot and try to exploit the defensive weakness of Arsenal.

My Prediction

For me, it is always difficult to pick a winner in this kind of fixture, as both teams can get the win regardless of playing at home or away. Both teams have their own weaknesses, which will be great to see how they try to exploit them. Judging by how both teams have performed recently, I think this will be a slightly open game for both teams. Both teams like to attack and be on the front foot, so for this reason and base on the stats, I will be placing my bet on over 2.5 goals and under 4.5 goals.

Scorumbet: Over 2.5 goals

Scorumbet: Under 4.5 goals

Well, this is just my personal opinion based on my analyses, we all know this is football and anything can happen, so let’s wait and see what happens in the game this Saturday, we hope for a great game for the fans to enjoy.

And that is a wrap…

What do you think will be the outcome of this match?

I would love to read your own opinions… Enjoy your day.