Where: Stamford Bridge, London
When: September 19th, 9:45pm AEST
Bet with: www.CrownBet.com.au – Safebookies EXCLUSIVE – Deposit matched up to $1000!
TWO of the pre-season title favourites meet in London with both teams in desperate need of a win to remain in touch with the ladder-leading Manchester City.
This match-up is typically one of the more fiery fixtures in English football. This year’s incarnation in particular threatens to become spiteful after simmering tensions between the two managers.
The Wenger vs. Mourinho managerial feud is already the stuff of legend, but with Arsenal’s off-season acquisition of Chelsea goalkeeper legend Peter Cech, there will be even more reason for these two to be at each other’s throats.
Arsene Wenger once said of Mourinho “he is a specialist in failure” but it is the Arsenal manager Wenger who has never tasted victory over his counterpart in a competitive match.
The pressure has been on the Chelsea boss after a poor start to the season, but the man who calls himself the ‘special one’ still believes he is the right man for the job.
“I am a fantastic manager when I’m not winning matches and I’m a fantastic manager when I am.” Mourinho said.
Mourinho said criticism is part of the English game and the media would not be doing their job correctly if his performance was not called into question.
“The pundits get big money not to say easy things. They have to be geniuses in their analysis or they don’t deserve the money they get.”
Both teams played in the Champion’s League across the weekend, but with Chelsea having the benefit of a victory at home as opposed to Arsenal’s travelling loss in Croatia, will fatigue become an issue?
Match odds:
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au
Chelsea: $2.37
Draw: $3.40
Who will win and why:
Winner: Arsenal – $3.00
First goal scorer: Theo Walcott – $7.50
Correct score: Arsenal 2-1 – $10.00
After an ordinary start to the season, the reigning champions Chelsea inconceivably sit in 17th position and are in genuine danger of not just ruling themselves out of the title picture, even at this early stage.
Arsenal have steadied after a humiliating opening weekend defeat to West Ham at home and currently sit in fourth position, five points adrift of league leaders Manchester City.
Hostilities generally are at fever pitch when two London teams meet, but with the aggression that Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho have displayed in the past, this one could explode at any moment.
All eyes will be on Peter Cech, who plays his first game back at Stamford Bridge since his big money move from the Blue side of London over to the Gunners.
Cech was shaky in his league debut against West Ham at home, but has since settled and has since kept three straight clean sheets.
How he performs against the former side will go a long way to deciding who takes the points in this match up.
Chelsea have a number of their top tier names unavailable, but that may very well be negated by the fact that Arsenal travelled to Croatia midweek and will feel the effects of fatigue.
Interestingly, after being so frugal at the back last season, Chelsea have conceded the most goals of any team thus far this season, and have failed to keep a clean sheet in opening five weeks.
With both teams looking to find the back of the net to make an early impression, the $1.57 for both teams to score with Sportsbet looks like the safest bet of the match.
Despite performing poorly in their midweek Champion’s League fixture, Arsenal should come out and get the better of their London rivals, further condemning Chelsea whilst boosting their own title ambitions.
Potential line ups:
Chelsea:
Begovic(GK), Azpilcueta, Cahill, Terry, Rahman, Matic, Zouma, Ramiers, Fabragas, Hazard, Costa
Despite registering an impressive 4-0 victory in the Champion’s League across the week, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho still has a few headaches going into Saturday’s Premier League fixture.
Brazilian midfielder Willian will not be available for the match against Arsenal after being withdrawn early in the match with a hamstring injury.
Spaniard Pedro has also been ruled out of Saturday’s match after missing the midweek Champion’s League match, and Brazilian Oscar will also be unavailable.
This, compounded with the loss of first choice goal keeper Thibaut Courtois leaves the champions with over a third of their starting 11 out injured.
Chelsea will need a big lift out of the PFA player of the year Eden Hazard.
Hazard has failed thus far to emulate the high standard he set last season, and after spectacularly missing a penalty in the Champion’s League, the Chelsea number 10 will need to refocus if he is to help turn his and his team’s form around in the English domestic season.
Arsenal:
Cech(GK), Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Cazorla, Sanchez, Ozil, Ramsey, Walcott.
The biggest question for the weekend will be whether or not Olivier Giroud gets the nod up front or if Theo Walcott gets his start at the head of the line.
If the Champion’s League fixture during the week has any bearing on Arsene Wenger’s mind – in which Giroud was red carded just 20 minutes in, while Walcott scored Arsenal’s solitary goal – then the Englishman is certain to start ahead of the Frenchman Giroud.
Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker is a possibility to return to the line-up after missing the last month through illness.
It is unlikely that Wenger will risk his captain after missing an extended chunk of time, instead expect the Arsenal manager to hand Mertesacker a bench spot.
Ozil and Sanchez look likely to terrorise the Chelsea defence who have been exposed for a lack of pace in recent weeks.
Ozil in particular has been terrific in the early part of this season – lifting his work ethic to beyond the required level after having it questioned at times throughout last season.
