Premier League betting – Chelsea vs Arsenal

Chelsea Vs Arsenal betting preview

Chelsea

Last 6 Results: DWWWWW

Current League Position: 1st

In a week dominated by allegations into the private life of captain John Terry, Chelsea slumped to a disappointing 1-1 draw at Hull in midweek. Terry himself let his football do the talking in typical Terry-like fashion last weekend at Turf Moor scoring the winner, but his side fell short at the KC where they came up against a bullish Hull side. Didier Drogba scored on his return from the African Cup of Nations but Carlo Ancelotti’s winning run of four games came to an end as they could only muster a point and extend their lead at the summit to just two points. The Blues can ill afford to dwell on the two points dropped on Tuesday night as Arsenal visit the Bridge hoping to chuck their hat back into the title ring. Chelsea strolled past the Gunners 3-0 when the pair met at the Emirates earlier in the season and are yet to be beaten on home turf, so this one seems a home banker, doesn’t it?

Only David Moyes’ Everton have taken points off Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this season but when Arsenal come to town on Sunday they can hardly rest on their laurels and say this one is going to be a formality. A complacent Chelsea were shot down by the Gunners in the same fixture last season when a brace from Robin Van Persie condemned the blues to a rare home defeat. Ancelotti will be wary of Arsene Wenger’s succinct and incisive passing side. But Chelsea have been able to bully teams at home this season without looking aesthetically pleasing; Portsmouth, Hull and Fulham have all succumbed to marginal 2-1 defeats. However, Chelsea have hit the net no fewer than fifteen times in their first three home games of 2010 and they looked at their devastating best during the 3-0 win over Birmingham a fortnight ago. Chelsea were allowed to play their fast, free-flowing football that day and comprehensively put a Birmingham side to the sword that had gone a staggering fifteen games unbeaten.

The London based club face a busy fixture schedule of three games in the space of seven days starting with Sunday’s sky live game. But despite the draw at Hull, the blues form of late hasn’t been below par, unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions with their last Premier league defeat coming at Eastlands way back in early December. They boast the joint second meanest defence in the league behind Aston Villa and have a good record against their title challengers. Manchester United and Liverpool have both left the Bridge empty handed this season and Chelsea have the habit of taking valuable points off the teams around them.

Boosted by the return of their African contingent of players, Carlo and co will know a win all but ends Arsenal’s title challenge but also maintains their own push for a first title in four years. Manchester United can make Premier League history by making it four successive titles, but one feels if Chelsea win on Sunday they are in pole position to secure a third Premier League crown. With this is mind, it’s no surprise Chelsea are clear favourites with the bookmakers at 5/6 to complete a double over their North London rivals.

Arsenal
Last 6 Results: LDLWWD
Current League Position: 3rd

It’s not very often Arsenal are outclassed at their own beautiful game, but even Arsene Wenger admitted his young team were just not at the races as a rampant Manchester United all but ended their title aspirations. For a team starved of silverware since their FA Cup success in 2005, Wenger’s men had been on a run of ten unbeaten prior to last weekends humiliating defeat. A six-point gap now exists between them and league leaders Chelsea and Wenger needs all 3 points on Sunday to keep alive their slim title chances. The Gunners won’t have forgotten their crushing defeat at the hands of Chelsea last time out, but will revenge be sweet or will they waving goodbye to the title?

First and foremost, on their day Arsenal are capable of just about anything, such was the performance away at Liverpool in mid December when they mastered an unlikely 2-1 victory after falling a goal behind. However, their record against their two main title contenders is another story; they have yet to secure a victory against the top two (Man Utd and Chelsea) this year and that is something they are going to have to change this Sunday.

January proved to be a topsy-turvy month for Arsene Wenger’s side, a brief stint at the summit of the league coupled with their FA Cup exit at Stoke. The highest scorers in the league are leaking goals and the return of Sol Campbell, albeit as a bit part player, has done little to shore up their frail rearguard. The centre back pairing of William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen face a huge task of keeping Drogba and Anelka quiet, the former buoyed by his strike in midweek. Belgian Vermaelen, has certainly verified his £10million price tag in goal scoring terms already this season, but arguably his defending at the other end has looked a little suspect at times. The loss of Robin Van Persie to injury last year however didn’t prompt Wenger to delve into the January transfer market; but it is difficult to see where the supply of Arsenal goals are going to consistently come from. Nicklas Bendtner may return from injury against the blues to spearhead a Gunners side which must be short on confidence.

They do however know what it feels like to win at Stamford Bridge, claiming a 2-1 win they visited last year but they cannot afford to go there this time and roll over. Playing for a point isn’t Arsene’s style and a maximum return is imperative if they want to keep pace with their opponents. Lose this one, and the table will not make happy reading if you’re a Gunner; nine points could be the gap come Sunday evening. The North London club are a generous 4/1shot to be the first side to claim all three points at Chelsea this season but maybe the best they can hope for is a draw which pays out at 5/2. Will the title still be a 3-horse race at the end of ninety minutes or is there life in Arsenal’s youngsters yet?

Men to Watch

It’s hard to look no further than Chelsea’s Didier Drogba following his solitary strike at Hull on Tuesday. The Ivorian wasted no time in putting the heartache of exiting the Africa Cup of Nations at the quarter-final stage to the back of his mind when he rescued a point for his side. He seems a good bet at 5/1 with Ladbrokes to open the scoring on Sunday and expose the fragility in Arsenal’s backline. The 31-year olds alarming presence and ruthlessness in front of goal has seen him bag 15 goals this term and he’s had the beating of Arsenal already this season, so don’t back against him adding to the brace he scored at the Emirates in the reverse fixture.

The general rule of thumb is when Cesc Fabregas plays well, Arsenal play well and more often than not this season he has rescued his team. His creativity, ability to pull the strings in midfield and killer instinct in front of goal have made him the club’s top scorer this season with eleven. If Fabregas justifies just why Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are vying for his signature, then Arsenal can trouble Chelsea. 10/1 represents great value for the midfield to open the scoring.

Verdict

The first goal in this encounter is all important. If Arsenal get it, it will provide the added impetus they will need if they are to rough a few Chelsea feathers. On the other hand, if Chelsea start as they mean to go on like did against Birmingham, the Gunners could be in for a long afternoon. The last thing Arsenal want is to be chasing a game they need to win, but if recent meetings are anything to go by Wenger’s troops haven’t lost by more than a single goal in their last seven visits to Stamford Bridge. This might suggest a tense affair but an Arsenal win at a generous 4/1 is definitely worth a small stake.

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