Arsenal-Chelsea is a match valid for the thirty-fourth day of the Premier League and is played on Tuesday at 9 p.m.: TV, probable formations, predictions.
This weekend Arsenal saw the dreaded overtaking by Manchester City at the top of the Premier League materialize before its eyes, inevitable after the heavy 4-1 in the direct clash that the Citizens inflicted on the Hammers.
The situation has now turned upside down, with the Londoners called upon to chase: Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland’s battleship got the better of Fulham on Sunday and sprinted to +1 but still has a game to make up. All that remains for Arsenal is to try to keep the fight alive as much as possible, with the knowledge that a half-miracle will now be needed to take back the top spot. To do so, Mikel Arteta’s men must shake off the negativity and start winning again. They have not done so for exactly a month: after the success with Leeds, came three draws in a row against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton that served as a prologue to the Etihad Stadium debacle. The Basque coach definitely does not want to give up and has asked his team for maximum concentration ahead of the last five games. The first of these “finals” is the derby with Chelsea, which will visit the Emirates Stadium in the match that closes the curtain on the thirty-fourth day.
Disaster Chelsea
There are no more words to describe the moment of the Blues, who last Wednesday were also forced to raise the white flag against Brentford.
Lampard
The Bees got the better of it 2-0, contributing to a heavier mood in the Stamford Bridge parts. It became five defeats in a row for Frank Lampard’s team, between cups and league. Chelsea’s last victory dates back to mid-March, while in the standings the Blues have even slipped to 12th position, “only” ten lengths from the relegation zone. A completely surreal situation if one takes into account what were the premises at the beginning of the tournament. The club’s former captain, back after his previous experience from 2019 to 2021, has failed to impart any steering and things seem to be getting worse match after match. The cups are now a long way off and in West London they have resigned themselves to a year that to call disastrous is putting it mildly, especially following the two pharaonic buying campaigns brought in by the new ownership.
The Prediction
Arsenal has no alternative to success after being overtaken at the top by Manchester City and should get back to winning ways against a Chelsea that is sinking. These are not two healthy teams, far from it. Arteta’s lineup has conceded an average of two goals in its last four games; Chelsea’s attack, which has barely scored a goal in its last seven, is likely to get unstuck in a one-goal-per-side match.
The likely lineups for Arsenal-Chelsea
- ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; White, Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Trossard; Gabriel Jesus.
- CHELSEA (4-3-3): Kepa; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Fofana, Chilwell; Enzo Fernandez, Kanté, Gallagher; Joao Felix, Havertz, Sterling.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
