The Pride of London
Fansided

Chelsea predicted XI for Arsenal: A Boxing Day best XI

By Vansh Ambashta

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 21: Emerson of Chelsea runs with the ball as Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal looks on during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on January 21, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 21: Emerson of Chelsea runs with the ball as Nicolas Pepe of Arsenal looks on during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on January 21, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Chelsea’s French goalkeeper Edouard Mendy plays during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on October 24, 2020. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s French goalkeeper Edouard Mendy plays during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on October 24, 2020. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by OLI SCARFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Chelsea’s small injury crisis carries on, but the Blues will be able to field a pretty strong lineup for the Boxing Day clash with Arsenal.

Chelsea and Arsenal go into Boxing Day with much different pasts and hopefully futures. The Blues are high flying with some bumps along the road whereas the Gunners are sinking lower and lower with some Europa League along the way. The two teams could not be more different from the FA Cup final. Who plays in this fixture?

Edouard Mendy (No.16), Goalkeeper, Senegal

Edouard Mendy’s performances this season haven’t been discussed enough. The Senegalese has one of the best records in goal and his statistics are better than many of the “world-class” goalkeepers. Arsenal have been extremely poor in terms of chance creation and you shouldn’t expect too many shots on target. Expect another masterclass from the beloved Mendy!

Cesar Azpilicueta (No.28), Right back, Spain

Chelsea is truly blessed in the right back position. They have the most complete right back in the league in form of Reece James. And in the absence of James, they have the most defensively reliable fullback, Cesar Azpilicueta. This means that James can take a couple of weeks off to recover from his injury an Azpilicueta can get some well-deserved game time. The Blues should expect another solid performance from our ironman, Azpilicueta against the Gunners.

Thiago Silva (No.6), Centerback, Brazil

When Thiago Silva signed for Chelsea, many wrote him off for being too old to adapt to the physical Premier League. However, the Brazilian has silenced all his critics through stellar performances, and has been one of the best defenders in the league this season. Frank Lampard has managed Silva effectively and carefully and that has been another reason behind his fantastic performances. Expect another reliable performance from Silva against Arsenal as he takes on their sleeping frontline.

Kurt Zouma (No.21), Centerback, France

Kurt Zouma has been quite a revelation this season. There was a time when Chelsea was the team that conceded every set piece. However, the tide has turned and now, Chelsea is the team that seems to score off all set pieces. Zouma is a huge reason behind this. The man seems to rise above all on every set piece. In fact, he has more goals this season than most of Arsenal’s forwards and it seems like the perfect occasion for another goal, doesn’t it?

Emerson (No.33), Left back, Italy

Ben Chilwell got injured in the opening 10 minutes in the game against West Ham as Chelsea’s ill fate with injuries continued. Emerson filled in and seemed decent throughout the game. In Chilwell’s absence, Emerson will get a good run in the team as Marcos Alonso’s exit seems inevitable.

Home/Premier League