CHELSEA – ARSENAL | Sunday 1pm
Roma-Lazio, Juventus-Inter, Betis-Sevilla. In the weekend of derbies – there are some being played all over Europe – the London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal could not be missing. Yes, it is true, in the English capital they are much more accustomed to this type of match, but one derby can never be trivial or the same as the others. Especially the one scheduled at lunchtime at Stamford Bridge, in which the points of interest are so many. The Gunners have once again been overtaken at the top of the Premier League table, and now they have to retaliate to Manchester City, who beat Fulham 2-1 yesterday. Mikel Arteta fielded almost only reserves last Thursday against Zurich on the final day of the Europa League group stage. And he did it precisely to have everyone fresh for the very important challenge with the Blues. The qualification, by the way, had already been achieved and it was only necessary to defend the first place from the assault of Psv Eindhoven. The assault, however, was thwarted thanks to a 1-0 success against the Swiss.
Chelsea also won the Champions League, beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in a match that had no bearing on the standings, as Graham Potter’s men had already qualified as runners-up. Azpilicueta and his team-mates can now make no more mistakes in the league, where they are currently seventh, more than ten points off the top. A defeat risks ousting them from the title fight. A week ago, meanwhile, Chelsea suffered the first blow of the Potter era: the new coach was punished by his former team, Brighton, who inflicted a heavy 4-1 defeat. And speaking of former players, one cannot help but think of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is about to face for the first time as an opponent the club whose shirt he wore from 2018 to 2021, scoring 68 goals.
The Prediction
It promises to be a match open to any kind of result, like any self-respecting derby, in which both teams are likely to score at least one goal each. Chelsea want to react after the debacle at Brighton: they will face this match with great determination but it will not be easy to pierce one of the least beaten defences in the league. The Blues are likely to avoid defeat at the very least.
Chelsea-Arsenal matchday squad
- CHELSEA (3-4-1-2): Mendy; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly; Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella; Mount; Aubameyang, Sterling.
- ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Gabriel Jesus.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-2
