Arsenal vs. Chelsea
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Kick off: 6:30PM
Arsenal and Chelsea meet in a crucial battle for a top-four spot this afternoon with six points currently separating the two sides in the Premier League table.
Arsenal fans could be forgiven for thinking that they have been transported back a year with their team underperforming on the pitch and frustration growing at a lack of transfers.
Unai Emery’s admission that the club can only afford loan signings this month was as perplexing as it was worrying, and while Denis Suarez and James Rodriguez have been linked with a move to the Emirates, it appears as though the Spaniard will largely have to make do with what he has got for the remainder of the season.
Whether Mesut Ozil comes into his thinking on a more regular basis remains to be seen, but the German is certainly out of favour at the moment and the fact that their highest earner did not even make the squad for last weekend’s defeat to West Ham United is another major cause for concern.
Emery’s Ozil omission is understandable when looking at the stats – he has contributed just three goals and two assists since signing a bumper new contract a year ago – but many fans will be scratching their heads at the refusal to hand Juventus-bound Aaron Ramsey fresh terms when reinforcements appear unavailable.
There are no shortage of problems to solve on the field too; last weekend’s 1-0 loss to West Ham could have easily been plucked from the toxic end of Arsene Wenger’s reign, and the Gunners have now been beaten four times in their last eight outings.
Only Fulham have kept fewer clean sheets in the Premier League this season, while goalkeeper Bernd Leno has only managed one in his 15 top-flight starts, and just six teams in the entire league have conceded more goals than the Gunners in total.
However, the bulk of Arsenal’s problems this term have once again come on the road, and they are unbeaten in their last 10 league games at the Emirates Stadium in a run which stretches back to the opening weekend of the season.
Emery’s side also boast an impressive record in home London derbies of late, winning each of their last five and remaining unbeaten in their last 12 since defeat to Chelsea three years ago.
Should they extend that record this weekend then they would be right back in the top-four race, but defeat to their capital rivals could be a fatal blow to their Champions League hopes while also giving Manchester United the chance to leapfrog them in fifth place.
Much like his counterpart Emery, Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is beginning to find things a little more difficult now after a bright start to life in England.
The Blues face a crucial double-header with Saturday’s visit to Arsenal being followed by a home game against Tottenham Hotspur next Thursday as they look to overturn a one-goal deficit in their EFL Cup semi-final.nt
Silverware would be within touching distance if they are able to beat Spurs at Stamford Bridge, but in terms of the league their focus is very much fixed on holding off another North London outfit in the race for fourth.
Victory today would see Chelsea temporarily leapfrog Spurs into third, but more importantly it would open up a nine-point lead over Arsenal – and potentially Manchester United depending on results elsewhere – having capitalised on the Gunners’ slip-up at West Ham by beating Newcastle United last Saturday.
Arsenal possible XI: Leno, Mustafi, Sokratis, Koscielny, Bellerin, Torreira, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Aubameyang, Lacazette, Iwobi.
Chelsea possible XI: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Pedro, Hazard, Willian.