Arsenal v Chelsea: Back pensioners to disarm Gunners
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Arsenal are enduring a mini slump in their title tilt. The Gunners are without a victory in three games in all competitions for the first time this season, while one point from their previous two Premier League fixtures paired with weekend results has seen them drop from top to third.
A meeting with Chelsea will be the last thing that the north London outfit wanted. They have not gone three Premier League fixtures without a win since January 2013; the third of those games was against Chelsea.
Their recent record against the Pensioners does not read well, with just two successes in eight against their Capital counterparts, and four losses thrown into the equation.
The visitors are priced at 21/10 to take the three points at the Emirates. Blues boss Jose Mourinho has an untarnished record against Arsene Wenger, with five wins and four draws to his name when the Frenchman has been in the opposing dugout.
The Europa League champions have taken 11 points away from Arsenal’s new stadium, the joint-highest haul of any side in the division, along with Aston Villa, and already have a victory in N7 this term, brushing Arsenal aside in the Capital One Cup.
For the more cautious, backing the draw at 12/5 also offers superb value.
However, Wenger’s men do have an impressive record on their own patch this season, taking 19 points from a possible 24 in front of their supporters and are sure to see attention at 13/10.
Juan Mata has been a peripheral figure since the return of the Portuguese manager but Mourinho would be well-advised to start the Spanish international in this tie.
The ex-Valencia man has netted in each of his four starts against his opponents here and at 11/1 to notch first or 4/1 to find the net anytime, supporting either of those outcomes could prove shrewd investments.
Goals could also be on the agenda, with Arsenal conceding as many goals in their last two league games (seven) as they had in their previous 13, while Chelsea have racked-up 16 goals in six league outings.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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