After being involved in a supposed title decider on Tuesday night, Chelsea face Arsenal in another big game at lunchtime on Saturday.
Chelsea managed to stretch their lead at the top of the table to a huge nine points after drawing 1-1 away at Liverpool in a match they probably should have won. This result also means that the Blues have still not lost in any competition since their defeat at Tottenham back in early January.
Antonio Conte can pretty much have no complaints with his side in either the forward area or at the back. They may have lost their record of conceding the fewest goals in the league but they are still top of the defensive charts when you bring clean sheets into it as well. As mentioned above, Chelsea created enough opportunities to win against Liverpool whilst Diego Costa missing a penalty certainly didn’t help.
The Blues have got an incredible record at Stamford Bridge this season and have won all but one match on home turf.
After dismantling Southampton 5-0 in the FA Cup over the weekend, Arsenal found themselves on the end of a shock defeat to Watford at the Emirates Stadium and questions have been asked why manager Arsene Wenger dropped Saturday’s hat trick hero Theo Walcott for the must-win tie against the Hornets. Arsenal are currently sitting in third and nine points off top spot yet only four points ahead of 5th place – the Champions League dropout mark. This game against Chelsea really is a win at all costs game for Arsenal now.
The Gunners’ strengths and weaknesses have been easy to identify for years – weak at the back but good going forward. The defensive performance against Watford in midweek was amateurish, and not for the first time, these sorts of performances by the back-line have been why Arsenal have failed to win trophies in recent years.
Everybody knows that Arsenal are up there with the best going forward but it still seems that Wenger is not 100% sure of what his strongest line-up is – as we have seen with the rotation in the last couple of matches. Having said that, they still have the second best goals record in the Premier League and have scored in all but two of their top flight matches so far this campaign.
After two consecutive losses on the road, Arsenal have recovered to win their last three in all competitions, two of them to nil, and are unbeaten in four away from the Emirates. However, going to Stamford Bridge is a completely different proposition for the Gunners.
The bookies have made Chelsea the strong favourites here at 21/20 whilst Arsenal are really priced out at 3/1. The reasons are obvious and, given the circumstances, the hosts are the only team to be with.
Diego Costa may have missed a penalty on Tuesday night but he is still the most feared striker in the Premier League at the moment. Additionally, like Chelsea, he has that steel and determination which helps him perform in the big matches – especially against poor defences such as Arsenal’s. On this basis, ‘Chelsea to Win & Diego Costa to Score Anytime’, at 5/2, is another good bet.
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