Here is all you need to know for Chelsea FC’s crunch Premier League meeting with Arsenal
Chelsea FC clash with London rivals Arsenal as they look to get their Premier League campaign back on track. Blues boss Jose Mourinho has been in a jovial mood after Chelsea defeated Maccabi Tel-Aviv 4-0 in the midweek Champions League fixture and will be hoping that the club carries the form into this match.
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Chelsea are languishing in 17th position in the table having gained just four points from five league games. The Blues have been nothing more than awful so far with little sign of improvement displayed before Wednesday night’s game. The star players have been anonymous (Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas to name but a few) and Mourinho’s decisions have also been questionable at times.
However, the Portuguese manager finally wielded his axe for the Maccabi game and John Terry, Diego Costa and most importantly Branislav Ivanovic were benched. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Abdul Baba Rahman stepped in and were impressive to say the least. Fabregas also found form in a rejuvenated Chelsea performance.
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Given the radically improved display in midweek, many are calling for Mourinho to stick with the changed side and keep the likes of Loftus-Cheek in the side to face Arsenal. The youngster showed how far he has come since we last properly saw him and while it would be a big decision to start the midfielder, it is potentially a superstar-making one.
Arsenal, meanwhile, come into the fixture in mixed form. A win could leave the Gunners two points off league-leaders Manchester City should results go their way. However, they were hapless in Croatia as they fell to Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in their Champions League tie. Arsene Wenger did field a weakened team but a long flight for a loss is not the best way to prepare for such a big game.
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Meanwhile, it will be worth keeping an eye on the touchline as Wenger and Mourinho renew hostilities. Last season they were involved in a physical altercation in the corresponding fixture and their relationship hasn’t improved to the extent that we can rule out some sort of confrontation this time around.
With all that in mind, here is all you need to know:
Chelsea FC v Arsenal, 19th September 2015
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Time: 12:45 BST, 07:45 ET
TV: BT Sport 1 (UK), NBCSN (US), check your country’s local listings here
In the meantime, check out all out coverage for Arsenal’s visit at the hub page here.
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