Mikel Arteta brings Arsenal to Stamford Bridge. Tuesday seems like a waste of a good London Derby, but a win is a win, and Chelsea have reason to deliver a punishing win.
Chelsea face Arsenal for the second time in a month, which was enough time for the Gunners to hire a new manager and start playing differently without really doing anything different. Even after the Newcastle game our writers are optimistic, not least because it’s Arsenal.
Scott Brant: Chelsea 2 – 1 Arsenal. I hate this score line because it’s as basic as it comes. But the Blues just beat them 2-1, and I can’t see Arsenal not scoring, and I won’t predict a loss. So here’s to a bounce back win against the Gunners, hopefully with a David Luiz mistake late that hands over the match. Tammy Abraham needs to continue to score, and a winger needs to step up.
Varun Dani: 2 – 1. An Aubameyang-less Arsenal will create a lot of chances but miss the clinical touch. The men in red are bound to find the net once, though, and it’ll be up to Chelsea’s attackers to turn up, unlike the showing against Newcastle. Here’s to hoping Tammy Abraham makes a habit of scoring against the Gunners.
Barrett Rouen: 2 – 0. This is entirely based on feeling. I bet the boys are pretty upset with the way things went at Newcastle. They should be.
Arsenal are lacking Aubameyang and it’s been forever since Alexandre Lacazette scored an away goal.
A complete performance from the Blues will see Tammy Abraham grab a goal because he’s a prince. Kepa Arrizabalaga will redeem himself a little and the rest of the team will show the sort of discipline they’re supposed to.
Kevin Peacock: 1 – 1. A poor performance up at Newcastle must be followed by a positive one against the Gunners.
Chelsea are much better against teams prepared to play football. Hopefully, Arsenal will oblige. On the downside, the game is at Stamford Bridge. Both teams are inconsistent and a draw is probably the most likely outcome. A goal from Tambraham secures a draw in what is tight, tense affair.
Olaoluwa Nwobodo: 2 – 0. Chelsea’s style of play should be very well suited to how Arsenal are trying to play. Chelsea won the reverse fixture, and the home game will be trickier (ironically).
Arsenal will play for their pride in this match. They’ll all be alert in this game. They still have defensive frailties but Chelsea has not particularly been an attacking juggernaut lately. The Gunners have not impressed since Mikel Arteta took over, so they’re going to want to show that they have made progress with him. Chelsea should show them they have, in fact, made no progress at all.
Nate Hofmann: 2 – 2. These are two teams who refuse to admit that they’re basically the same right now. The managers, the poor form, the porous defenses… the list goes on. The only reason there’s such a gulf in the league table between the two is that Arsenal hung onto the dying embers of the Unai Emery era for about six months too long.
Chelsea should be able to score goals, but Arsenal will, too, even without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. In fact, Alexandre Lacazette is a bigger aerial threat than Aubameyang, which is probably the best plan of attack against this passive Chelsea backline.
This match will swing back and forth momentum-wise, but I think it’ll end all square by the final whistle. I’ll bet David Luiz scores the last goal.
Abhishek Pancholi: 1 – 3. I rarely predict two losses in a row, but something tells me this Arsenal side will be very different than the one Unai Emery fielded the last time these teams went head to head. Arsenal will take advantage of the Blues’ poor home record to pile on the pressure in the first half. The creaking backline will let in two goals in the first hour before Tammy Abraham pulls one back.
Chelsea will go on the offensive in the final 15 minutes, allowing Arsenal to sucker punch the Blues on a lightning counter.