On Saturday, an eagerly awaited London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal clubs will take place at Stamford Bridge stadium.
The "Blues" confidently lead the Premier League and for Arsenal, who are in third place, a victory is necessary if they still hope to clinch the championship gold medals.
Teams' sporty form
Chelsea's performances in the Premier League say it all - since the beginning of October last year, they have achieved 15 victories, drawn one match, and lost one.
This guarantees Antonio Conte's team the first place in the English championship, with a 9-point lead over Tottenham and Arsenal.
After this match, Chelsea will only face bottom-half teams in April, so now they can fight against the "Gunners" without holding back.
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger's team's game has been inconsistent - one day they can thrash Swansea City 4-0, the next day they can lose at home to Watford 2-1.
Furthermore, Arsenal must also start thinking about their first Champions League round of 16 match against Bayern in mid-February.
Commentary
"If Chelsea defeats Arsenal, then everything will be over in the Premier League. This will happen because A. Conte's players have played very well for four months now," said former famous footballer Robert Pires.
"They are a very good, compact team with an intelligent philosophy. They play collectively, and the team is completely controlled by Conte, who has decided to demonstrate a new generation of football with three defenders.
Of course, Chelsea is stronger, but Arsenal must believe in their chances," said the Frenchman.
Predicted starting lineups
Chelsea: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Hazard, Pedro, Costa.
Arsenal: Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Walcott, Ozil, Sanchez; Welbeck.
Interesting facts
- Last September, Chelsea's defeat against Arsenal (0-3) was the biggest against eternal rivals since April 1997 (also 0-3).
- The last time the Gunners defeated the Blues twice was in the 2003/2004 season, when they also last triumphed in the Premier League.
- The last Chelsea manager who failed to win the first two matches against Arsenal was Jose Mourinho (2004/05), while the last manager to lose both matches was Glenn Hoddle (1993/94).
- A. Wenger has lost his last four matches at Stamford Bridge. Even more tragic was his appearance at Old Trafford (defeated from 2009-13).
- The crushing defeat against Arsenal experienced by A. Conte last year was his most painful since his coaching career at Siena in October 2010 (lost 0-3 to Empoli).
- Arsenal's unpleasant stat - in the last three matches at Stamford Bridge, three players were sent off - Gabriel, Santi Cazorla, and Kieran Gibbs.
- The last Wenger protege to score a goal at Chelsea's ground was Theo Walcott. This happened in January 2013 (lost 1-2). He also scored in the last Arsenal victories at this stadium (5-3, October 2011).
Prediction
In a survey conducted by the Evening Standard portal, over 4,000 football fans participated, with 66% predicting a victory for the hosts, while only 26% had faith in Arsenal.
Guess how the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal will end! The CBet betting company considers Conte's team as favorites, what about you?
