Premier League [Preview]: Arsenal vs Chelsea

Arsenal play host to London rivals Chelsea in Wednesday’s Premier League outing at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners are once again in a struggle to finish in the Champions League positions, and they did not do themselves any favour last weekend as they shared the spoils versus West Bromwich Albion in a 1-1 draw. In contrary, the Blues were at their graceful best as they pushed aside a Stoke City unit by a comfortable 5-0 scoreline. As a result, the west London outfit have jumped to second in the standings with 45 points, seven ahead of Arsene Wenger’s side, who have tended to draw their games of late.

Previous meeting:

The last meeting between the clubs was at Stamford Bridge earlier this campaign, where they played out a 0-0 draw. The match was evenly contested in the centre of the park but both sides had clear cut chances to win the game. Pedro failed to convert his one-on-one with Petr Cech in the first period, whilst Aaron Ramsey tricked his way through the Blues backline to hit the post, only for Alexandre Lacazette to blaze the rebound over from just three yards out.

Players to watch for:

Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal: The Chile international has been far from his old self this term, and much of it has been related to his ongoing transfer saga. Despite this, Sanchez has kept chipping away with goals of late, and has three goals in as many games. He was also indirectly involved for the Gunners’ opener versus West Brom which was adjudged as an own goal from James McClean. Sanchez has netted twice in the last four matches versus Chelsea, including the opener in the FA Cup triumph last term.

Eden Hazard – Chelsea: The Belgian was an unused substitute during the 5-0 rout of Stoke City, and he will be afresh for the midweek London derby. Hazard scored an exceptional solo goal versus the Gunners during the previous campaign, and he could keep their backline worked up once more, considering the hosts could be without the services of Laurent Koscielny, who was substituted with an injury last weekend. Hazard has formed an excellent bond alongside Alvaro Morata upfront, and their link-up play could play a significant role in securing the Blues’ second league win in five attempts at the Emirates.

Prediction:

Arsenal have turned up against the elite clubs at home this term, and we are backing them to win to maintain their Champions League prospects, Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea.

Image – Getty