No matter the gulf in class or position on the Premier League table between Chelsea and Arsenal, the London Derby is always a massive occasion. These clubs are undoubtedly two of the biggest in the history of English football and represent greatness in both a bygone era and the current one. There isn’t another team I would rather watch suffer than the Gunners (making the past few seasons especially sweet for me) and I have a feeling their supporters feel the same about the reigning European Champions. This is a proper rivalry.
Nearly every ounce of momentum belongs to Chelsea heading into this match, with the Blues winning their previous three contests and advancing to the FA Cup final while Arsenal has lost three in a row to teams currently sitting 10th or worse in the league table. The bookmakers are apparently looking favorably on the Gunners with some of these odds, but that only means better value and a bigger payday for us. Winning bets while watching a victory at the Bridge is the best way to make it through the middle of a long week.
Here is your gambling guide for Chelsea’s Premier League match against Arsenal
Despite Chelsea’s relative abundance of tangible success compared to Arsenal’s in recent memory, the neighbors to the north have posed a particularly annoying challenge in head-to-head match-ups. The Gunners have bested the Blues three times in six opportunities since Mikel Arteta’s appointment at the end of 2019, most memorably in the 2020 FA Cup final as Frank Lampard’s time as manager was coming to a close. Perhaps these last few results can explain why Thomas Tuchel’s squad is only favored at -110 odds on the moneyline right now, but I’m not stressing the disrespect at all. Anytime I can get Chelsea this close to pick’em, I’m taking it.
A prop that I’ve had my eyes on since the betting lines opened for this match is the Blues to score over 1.5 goals at +105. The Club World Cup Champs have found the back of the net multiple times in five of their previous seven matches and scored 17 goals during that period. The resurgences of Mason Mount and Timo Werner are largely responsible for this, with the pair of forwards combining for 14 goals contributions during the same seven-match span. I expect both players to be named in the starting XI, or at the very least come on as substitutes, against Arsenal on Wednesday. For what it’s worth, both Mount (+230) and Werner (+238) provide decent value on their anytime goalscorer props. These aren’t official picks, but I’m definitely considering a late flyer once the line-ups are announced closer to kick-off.
Official odds (via WynnBet as of April 20)
Chelsea ML: -110
Arsenal ML: +335
Draw: +250
Over/Under: 2.5 (+110/-135)
My picks
As all football supporters know, anything can happen in a derby, so I won’t say that Chelsea should win this match. I definitely expect the Blues to come out on top, though. Give me the home side on the ML at -110 to go along with my over 1.5 team goals prop, currently sitting at +105 odds. I’m also hoping that the European Champions can match their intensity from the second half of the FA Cup semifinal for an entire 90 minutes against Arsenal. I like Chelsea to come out of the gates hot, so I’ll take the home team to score first at -150.
What are some of the picks you’ll be betting on? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!