Arsenal vs Chelsea
Boxing Day is going to be a little different for us all this year. Okay we might still overdo it on Christmas Day and be ready for some fresh air on the 26th.
But the millions of football fans throughout England for who Boxing Day means a live match will have to go without this year, and look forward to next. So it’s the television, the radio or the online streaming which will keep us in the groove; and it could be worse…Premier League: Arsenal vs Chelsea is on the Boxing Day menu and that is not a game to miss!
Arsenal come into the match on the back of a poor run in the league and a 4-1 thumping at the hands of Manchester City in the EFL Cup, while Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have just halted a little seasonal slide of their own.
So join us here at SBOTOP to take a look at the current state of these two London giants and run the rule over the very latest Arsenal vs Chelsea betting odds.
Talking Points
Arsenal must stick with Arteta
It’s about this time of year when the madness of the managerial merry-go-round starts to whirl as football club owners, who have bet the ranch, start to panic. West Brom have already lost their nerve, sacking Slaven Bilic to bring in the relegation scrap veteran, Sam Allardyce, and Arsenal fans are getting twitchy (again) after a shocking start to their Premier League season.
The Gunners are sitting in 15th place with 14 points, eight defeats from 14 games leaving them four points above the drop zone and 17 from the top. But to sack Arteta now would be insane. The former player was surely a long term appointment and, in any case, he has already won two trophies as head coach, the FA Cup and Community Shield, in his first year in charge.
But things need to change before long. There were only two minutes on the clock when Gabriel Jesus put Manchester City ahead in the EFL quarter final, and though Arsenal levelled through Alexandre Lacazette, a second half onslaught from the Sky Blues simply blew the Gunners away. But that’s Manchester City.
More worryingly, Arsenal have scored just twice in the last four league games, picking up a single point. And Arteta knows it’s time to turn things around: “If we don’t, we are in big trouble, so this is the moment that is going to decide our season.”
The boss isn’t just talking about the Chelsea game. Arsenal’s following four fixtures are against relegation candidates, Brighton, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Newcastle, and in normal circumstances you would expect the Gunners to take between eight and 12 points from those games. If they do then Arteta can look to the future.
He’ll ring some changes on Saturday. David Luiz will most likely replace Shkodran Mustafi at the back. Luiz hit the post in the Gunners’ defeat to Everton on Saturday and he’ll be keen to face his old side, while doubts over the fitness of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could mean there is room up front for Eddie Nketiah. Against a defence featuring Ben Chilwell, Kurt Zouma, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueata I’m not sure I fancy their chances, and they will have to line-up without midfield enforcer Granit Xhaka, who was red-carded against Burnley.
Tammy Abraham is the youngest English player to score 25+ goals for Chelsea since Kerry Dixon in 1984
Chelsea waiting for big signings to spark
The Blues 3-0 victory over West Ham on Monday night was a little flattering, but it was much appreciated by Chelsea following back-to-back defeats. After Thiago had given them an early lead, Tammy Abraham scored a late double to lift the Blues up to fifth in the table.
Of Chelsea’s summer signings, in the striking department, Timo Werner, with four goals and four assists, has fared the best, while Hakim Ziyech has struggled with injury and Kai Havertz has just struggled. But even Werner has come under criticism from UK TV pundit Darren Bent, who has said Werner is not a ‘natural goal scorer’, despite bagging 95 goals in 159 games for Red Bull Leipzig.
But Bent should know I suppose. The former Tottenham striker scored a modest 18 goals from 60 games for the Whites and famously missed an open goal to lose two points in a game against Portsmouth, prompting his manager Harry Redknapp to say: “You will never get a better chance to win a game than that. My missus could have scored that one!”
Maybe Bent is still smarting. Werner is on the right track and I’m sure Havertz, who came on as a late substitute against West Ham, will come good and Ziyech has already showed signs that, when fully fit, he could be a prolific provider.
History
Their have been many superb clashes between these two teams over the years, and Arsenal are slightly ahead with 27 victories to 25 in the Premier League, and there have been 20 draws.
Last season Chelsea won this clash at the Emirates 2-1; but while the historic Arsenal vs Chelsea results are a close run thing, this season the two teams are miles apart, 11 points to be precise.
Betting Tip
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Arsenal vs Chelsea | 1X2 Draw @ 3.35 |
| Dec 27, 01:30 (GMT+8) |
Arsenal are at 3.64 to win this game and Chelsea are marginally odds on at 1.91. While the following four games will define the Gunners’ season, and Chelsea have a much stronger squad, I think Arteta will get a response from his players and probably enough to earn a draw.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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The post Premier League: Are the Gunners Heading for Christmas Blues? appeared first on SBOTOP.
