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Come this next Thursday, Chelsea will be playing host to the ailing Gunners. Despite making a desperate bid to a possible resurgence under the chaperonage of Mikel Arteta, the team has been plagued by inconsistency. The team that humbled a soaring Manchester United drew with a mediocre Crystal Palace and to add to their woes lost their star marksman, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to a red card in the game against Palace.
On the contrary, the Blues last tasted defeat in December while they were humbled by a shocking defeat to Southampton. Post that Lampard’s wards have put up a decent show until now, winning three of their last five fixtures.
Chelsea will have to be highly alert, as they will not be able to afford a slip up at this stage, given the hot pursuit of Manchester United for the coveted fourth position as of now. On the other hand, Arsenal will have to cling dearly to the hopes of an upset at Stamford Bridge to catapult themselves to the top ten.
The odds on BigPesa favour a home win, with odds of 1.74 suggesting the same.
Previous meeting between two sides:
Chelsea emerged victorious in the last two fixtures against Arsenal. In the preceding tie, the Blues humbled the Gunners in the latter’s own den by a slender 2-1 margin.
Thanks to late strikes by Jorginho and Tammy Abraham, the game turned on its head in just four minutes. Aubameyang scored the opener of the game in the 13th minute but late heroics from Chelsea left the home fans dazed and confused.
Based on the odds on BigPesa, a win for the hosts is valued at 1.74. A draw is valued at 4.0, while a win for the visitors is valued at 4.5.
Though Chelsea is tipped as the favourite, Arsenal is not done yet?
Despite the fact that all everything points at a victory of Chelsea, Arsenal isn’t a push-over in any sense. With Auba out of the equation, Arteta will probably have to resort to Gabriel Martinelli to spearhead the attacking force. However, the fans will pin their hopes on Nicolas Pepe, alongside a fading Lacazette to challenge a supreme Chelsea.
Lampard will definitely look forward to his young guns like Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount to flex their muscles in front of their home supporters. With Jorginho recently finding his form, Chelsea will probably target the midfield to disrupt Arsenal’s counterblast. The game is expected to produce either two or three goals, with odds of both possibilities being valued at 3.85 on BigPesa.
