Arsenal are playing better football now than under his forerunner, Unai Emery, and of course, they could beat Chelsea, but there have been slow and steady signs of improvement, and another would follow on Tuesday if Arsenal avoids defeat.
The Gunners only beat Chelsea once in the previous decade. Both Mikel Arteta and Frank Lampard were on the field that day and now they meet as managers with Arsenal needing a victory to keep their season alive. Now, who occupy fourth, and are nearer to the bottom three than the Champions League places.
Mikel Arteta believes his side have to win to have any chance of reaching the top four this season.
Tuesday’s clash is the first at Stamford Bridge between the two since 2018, where Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea went up against Emery’s Arsenal in only their second league match of the 2018-19 season.
Match Preview
According to impressive starts, Chelsea has gone on to register the next match goal in four of the last six Premier League (PL) home games in which they scored the opening goal. Also, their 50% win-rate in home league games entered as favorites this term shows there is room for improvement.
Furthermore, Chelsea’s last five PL home games have seen the second half won 1-0 by the winner on the day. Still, with five of Chelsea’s last six Premier League home victories coming after a level half-time score, the second period could decide who takes all three points.
Seven of the Gunners’ last eight PL away games have seen them fail to score a first-half goal from open play. The odd one out is Arsenal’s previous road trip (1-1), a result that now means the ‘Gunners’ travel across London with just one win from their last ten away league games.
Arsenal last won in the league at Stamford Bridge back in October 2011, gaining a Premier League record of D1, L6 since. Besides, four of those six defeats came after a first-half lost ‘to nil,’ while half of those losses saw Arsenal lose by a 2-0 scoreline.
Players to watch:
Chelsea: Tammy Abraham – scored the winner in the reverse H2H. Seven of his last eight goals have put the ‘Blues’ in a leading position.
Arsenal: Nicolas Pépé – scored the decisive winner in the Gunners’ last victory over a fellow top-six team of 2018/19, doing so inside the first ten minutes.