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December 26. 19:30. London. Emirates Stadium
England Championship. 15th round
Arsenal (London) – Chelsea (London)
Where to look: Setanta Sports Ukraine
Disqualified: absent
Injured: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gabriel Martinelli (both questionable), Thomas Party – Hakim Ziyech, Rhys James, Ben Chilwell
Arsenal v Chelsea: bookmaker quotes
Arsenal are the most talked about club in England right now. Some sympathize with Londoners, while others gloat in triumph, but the current position of the “gunners” certainly leaves no one indifferent. It seems that everything in this club really rested on the shoulders of Arsene Wenger. As soon as the French left Arsenal, everything collapsed in an instant. Chaotic transfer policy, ambiguous decisions by club chiefs and staff appointments – all of this together led to the fact that the “Gunners” are now four points from the relegation zone.
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Perhaps the invitation from Mikel Arteta, a systemic coach unable to adapt to current circumstances, should be attributed to the punctures of the leaders of “Arsenal”. It is obvious enough that most of the players on the team are simply incapable of playing the kind of football that the Spanish specialist tries to instill in the Gunners. But Arteta stubbornly continues to bend his line, leading to one failure after another. And the most depressing thing about this is not even a winless series, which has been in the Premier League for almost two months, but the absence of at least any hint of progress.
Arsenal have a derby with Chelsea ahead, a duel which, due to the Gunners’ regression, has significantly lost its status and is not even considered the centerpiece of the tour, inferior in this indicator to the meeting between Leicester and Manchester. United. Frank Lampard’s team responded to two consecutive defeats to Everton (0-1) and Wolverhampton (2-1) with a resounding victory over solid West Ham (3-0). The defeat of the neighbors allowed the ‘blues’ to overtake Tottenham in the standings and catch up with the leading group again, taking the fifth position.
Arsenal – Chelsea: indicative lineups
Success in the match with Frank Lampard’s “hammer” team was guaranteed by personnel changes in the center of midfield and attack. Ahead just brilliantly that with the ball, which Tammy Abraham played without him. The forward was rewarded for his excellent performance with two goals against West Ham. Obviously, Abraham must maintain his place in the starting lineup.
The win over West Ham was somewhat overshadowed by Ben Chilwell’s injury. The worst concerns about the severity of the left-back injury were not confirmed. But in the Christmas-New Years segment of the season, the “blues” risk going without the main defenders on the flanks. And if on the right flank Lampard has a reliable and proven alternative to Rhys James – Cesar Azpilicueta, then it cannot be said of the left flank. Most likely Emerson Palmieri will play Chilwell’s position in the game against the “Gunners.”
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As for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has Gabriel Martinelli and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese, who has missed the previous two games through injury, has started training with the general group and should be ready to take on Chelsea. The same goes for Martinelli, who was unable to finish the League Cup match with Manchester City due to a shin injury. It should also be noted that Granit Jaka has already served a 3-match penalty, which means that among Arsenal’s defeats there is only Thomas Party.
Arsenal – Chelsea: author’s forecast
Arsenal’s undefeated streak at home in the Premier League has now reached five games. And there is no evidence that the Gunners are actually capable of disrupting the Chelsea game. However, Chelsea have not shown stability lately. Therefore, there is no confidence in the success of “blue” either. I think the match will end in a draw and the teams will exchange goals. My prediction is that both will score.
