Chelsea are going to travel to the Emirates to face off against their arch-rivals Arsenal in the Premier League. In the previous fixture, the Blues took a 2-0 lead but were punished by their own mistakes after that. Arsenal scored two goals in the space of seven minutes to take away a point from the game at Stamford Bridge. This time around, the Gunners have no choice and need more than just a point from Chelsea.
They are in a three-team race for the Premier League trophy and if they drop points at this stage that could cost them the title. Manchester City are currently third on the table with 73 points, but they have a game to play. If the Gunners draw or lose the game to Chelsea, they could slip to third place and that would prove to be a big roadblock in their title race.
Arsenal come into the game on the back of a 2-0 win over Wolves. They had lost their two previous games before that, which raised a lot of questions about this team’s mentality in big games. Heading into the game against Chelsea, the Gunners will have to be at their best as anything short of that could lead to their title hopes getting crushed by their city rivals.
Chelsea also need a win to save their season
Chelsea are currently ninth in the standings with 47 points. A win against Arsenal could help the club climb to seventh in the standings. Their last loss in the Premier League came against the Wolves in February. Since then, the club has drawn four games and won four matches. With seven games left, the Blues can still make it to Europe if they put up solid performances to end the season.
Their last game against Manchester City was a disappointing end to their FA Cup campaign. The Londoners created plenty of chances, but Nicolas Jackson failed to find the back of the net and this led to their loss against the treble winners. Mauricio Pochettino stated in his press conference that he backs the Senegalese forward to deliver as he has seen the talent that Jackson possesses.
Injuries have been another reason behind Chelsea’s disappointing season. Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu have all been sidelined for the past few months. The team are not fielding their best starting eleven and this has reflected in their performances. Even going into this game, the team are at the risk of missing Cole Palmer, who has been the best player for them.
The 21-year-old has not trained with the team ahead of this game due to illness. The England international has had a breakthrough season and led the way for the Blues on the offensive end. His footballing IQ is terrific for his age and without him, Chelsea is going to have a tough time breaking down Arsenal’s resolute defence.
Can Chelsea beat the Gunners to destroy their title hopes ?
After facing Chelsea, Arsenal also have games against Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester United. These are going to be games that test the might of this Arsenal side. However, at the moment, Mikel Arteta will be focused on beating Chelsea. Last season, the Gunners grabbed a comfortable 3-1 win against Chelsea at the Emirates.
Chelsea are a side that can be unbelievable one evening and the very next game they might struggle to beat a championship side. Arsenal will be preparing for the Blues’ best version as they cannot afford any chances at this stage in the title race. While Arsenal will be hoping to secure a win, Manchester City and Liverpool will be rooting for Chelsea in this nail-biting encounter.
