In what would be the second match for both the teams in the 2018/19 Premier League campaign, Chelsea and Arsenal are set to fight it out against each other in the London derby which is to be held at the Stamford Bridge. The teams find themselves in contrasting situations after their first match, which makes this mega-clash even more critical.
Chelsea won their first match of the season against Huddersfield Town away from home by 3-0 as N’golo Kante, Jorginho and Pedro got their names on the scoresheet. It was a convincing performance by the Blues under their new manager Maurizio Sarri as they dominated the proceedings for the most of the game and would look to do the same against their next opponents as well.
Arsenal, on the other hand, found themselves going down by 2-0 in the first encounter of the season against defending champions Manchester City. Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva scored for the Citizens to get the better of their opponents and the Gunners would be eyeing redemption in their next match against their London rivals.
Team News
Chelsea
Maurizio Sarri would have the pleasure of having a full squad to pick his team from ahead of the Arsenal match except for one player, Cesc Fabregas, who is down with an injury. The new manager has ample resources at his disposal, and the Spaniard’s absence would not be a big blow for the Blues.
It is also expected that Sarri would go in with new signing Mateo Kovacic for the next match ahead of Ross Barkley, who started against the Terriers.
Arsenal
The same can’t be said about the Gunners, who have a few major injury concerns to deal with at the moment. After the match against Manchester City, it has become imperative for Arsenal to get their best defenders in the backline. However, Laurent Koscielny, Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are out with injury, which makes the situation complicated for Arsenal manager Unai Emery. However, the return of influential left-back Nacho Monreal to full fitness, who is available for selection would be a big boost for him.
Predicted Lineups
Chelsea (4-3-3)
Arrizabalaga, Rudiger, Alonso, Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Pedro, Morata, Willian
Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Cech, Bellerin, Sokratis, Mustafi, Monreal, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Ramsey, Ozil, Aubameyang
Key Men
Chelsea
The Blues would depend on their key man in the midfield N’golo Kante to dictate the game from the word go. The Frenchman’s exquisite passing and ability to make the ball talk with his subtle footwork is set to put Chelsea ahead of their opponents.
Arsenal
The Gunners would rely on their frontman Pierre Emerick Aubmeyang to get them the goals and making sure that they bag the first three points of the new season.
Odds
Chelsea Win- 1.8
Draw- 4.0
Arsenal Win- 4.5
