Arsenal vs Chelsea: The importance of the tie | Premier League 2018-19

The Gunners face the Blues at the Emirates Stadium this Saturday, in a clash that could potentially decide their future in European football next season.

They currently sit 6 points behind Champions League contention, and the way things stand, they can ill afford to drop any more points, much less to the team they are vying for that fourth spot on the table with.

This match is so crucial that even a draw is going to prove detrimental to Arsenal's Champions League hopes.

They are currently level on points with a Manchester United which has won all of its last 6 games under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, thereby making him the first ever United manager to do so in his first 6 games at the club.

Manchester United face Brighton & Hove Albion FC earlier on the same day at Old Trafford, and are pretty much the favourites to win that match with a clean sheet, given the form of David de Gea.

So essentially, Arsenal will already be 6th on the Premier League standings going into the clash with Chelsea, and they will be fighting to simply retain their 5th position on the table.

A loss would not only condemn them to 6th position on the table, but also put them 9 points behind 4th placed Chelsea, with 15 matches to go. Thereon, it'll be almost impossible for Arsenal to close the gap on Chelsea.

Rob Holding is still out with an injury, and maybe that's the reason why the Gunners have fallen flat on their face in 2019 after an incredible unbeaten run of 22 games in all competitions, starting from September up until December last year.

The Blues have not looked any better going into the game, owing to their recent slip-ups against Southampton and Leicester City, but are still the favourites to get something out of the match.

The match kicks off on Saturday at 5:30 PM local time.

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