Chelsea will smell blood against floundering Gunners.
Arsenal v Chelsea on Sunday has a funny feel to it. While Chelsea are struggling to string together any semblance of consistency, Arsenal have won just one of their last 11 Premier League matches – which is embarrassing for a club who should be harbouring far loftier ambitions.
Gunners fans will be hoping Mikel Arteta has the answers to this grim conundrum, but a 1-1 draw against a very poor Bournemouth side in their last outing suggests there’s still plenty of the work for the Spaniard to get stuck into.
Chelsea’s form is just as strange. Frank Lampard’s men have the 13th best home record in the league, but on the road only Manchester City and Liverpool have picked up more points. However, the bigger picture shows The Blues have lost five of their last seven matches, which isn’t going to keep them in the Champions League places.
For this one, however, I’m very much leaning towards Chelsea, and I’m going to back them to win with a draw no bet.
Only Bournemouth have failed to score against Arsenal at The Emirates, while Chelsea have smashed in 22 over the course of their nine on the road.
Furthermore, Chelsea’s excellent performance against Spurs is a cause for optimism, and in my eyes, the West Londoners are the more likely side to raise their game when the stakes are high than Arsenal are.
At a slightly bigger price, I fancy both teams to score in the second half.
59% of Chelsea’s concessions have come in the second 45 this season, while 60% of Arsenal’s goals have been scored in the second period.
The Gunners have also conceded second half goals in four of their last five at The Emirates, so the stats suggest this is a solid bet.
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