Chelsea vs Arsenal: Preview & Prediction

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Match Preview:

This London derby always has history attached to it and a story afterwards and we should see a very exciting and end to end game when these two teams clash.

Chelsea have been up and down lately although last weekend the club reached the FA Cup final as they beat Crystal Palace 2-0, the Blues will face Liverpool in the final show piece. That result and the fact that Thomas Tuchel’s side could finish the season with more silverware should put the club in a good frame of mind coming into this game. 

There have been recent disappointments though which include being knocked out of the Champions League against Real Madrid and losing 4-1 at home to Brentford. However in their last league game the Blues did react as they thrashed Southampton 6-0 away from home. At home Chelsea only have the 8th best record but have only lost twice. Their problem has been too many draws and from their last five home games they have won just two.

Tuchel’s team are in 3rd place but are 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City and 11 behind Liverpool they do have a game in hand but title hopes have been over for some time. The clubs objective will be to finish in 3rd place and that looks good for them given that they are 5 points clear of 4th placed Tottenham and have 2 games in hand.

A few weeks ago Arsenal literally had 4th place and were odds on favourites to claim the final Champions League position. Then their poor form hit and all looked lost, then Tottenham sprinted clear but with both sides losing at the weekend 4th place is open again. Just who wants it is another question. The Gunners are 3 points behind 4th but have a game in hand, which is this one so it is imperative that they collect the points. Manchester United and to a lesser extent West Ham are also in the mix so a win here would be huge for Mikel Arteta’s team.

Form has been poor for Arsenal though and they have lost their last 3. Fans will be quizzing themselves last weekend as Tottenham had already lost their game opening up the opportunity for Arsenal who played later against Southampton, but Arteta’s team went on to lose 1-0 against a team fighting for nothing. Arsenal have lost seven times on the road, although they have won seven also. But they have lost their last two where they have conceded 4 goals without reply.

Team News: 

Chelsea: Romelu Lukaku has a slight Achilles injury and will be assessed ahead of this game. Mateo Kovacic has a knock though it isn’t thought to be serious. Callum Hudson-Odoi is out long term with his Achilles. Ben Chilwell is out for the season with his knee.

Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette has been out for personal reasons but could be back for this game, although there has been no confirmation. Thomas Partey is out with his thigh with no specific return date. Takehiro Tomiyasu was expected to be back for this game but remains a major doubt as he recovers from his calf injury. 

Chelsea vs Arsenal Head to Head:

Last season Arsenal won this fixture 1-0.

Arsenal have won 3 of the last four meetings against Chelsea.

Earlier in the season in the reverse fixture Chelsea won 2-0.

There is a 70% chance to see over 2.5 goals.

Chelsea vs Arsenal Prediction:

Even though Chelsea have had some poor results against Arsenal in recent games they continue to remain the favourites when playing Arsenal. The reason has been both clubs fortunes over the past 15 years where an injection of money has made Chelsea leap frog the Gunners and added a plethora of trophies and dominance along the way. Chelsea certainly are not in Arsenal’s shadow any more.

Perhaps it was telling that after a run of poor results against Arsenal, Chelsea was able to beat them 2-0 at the Emirates this season and the Blues will be determined to finish the season well. They should get 3rd place but that isn’t confirmed yet and of course their focus will be on the FA Cup final. It certainly won’t interfere with this game though as that is a month away.

Chelsea have quality all over the pitch and have actually been solid this season and they are facing an Arsenal side who are questioning themselves. At the same time one could well argue that Arsenal’s form should turn around but it is a hard ask to see them win a midweek game away to a club like Chelsea. Tottenham will be watching closely.

Chelsea vs Arsenal Betting Tips:

Chelsea to beat Arsenal at 1.80

Over 2.5 goals at 2.00

Anytime goalscorer: Timo Werner at 3.25