CHELSEA VS. ARSENAL: PREMIER LEAGUE | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY FOOTBALL TIPS
Chelsea and Arsenal, two of the biggest foes in London, meet in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
A late winner from Marcos Alonso saw Chelsea record an excellent 1-2 away victory at Manchester City on the weekend and increase the gap between themselves and 5th-placed West Ham to 6 points. They now head into this local derby against Arsenal 7 games unbeaten in all competitions and on the back of 3 consecutive victories. A win here will see them leapfrog Leicester back into 3rd place in the points table.
On the other hand, Arsenal are still hurting after being knocked out of the Europa League semi-final last Thursday by Spanish club Villareal. However, they come into this game on the back of a solid 3-1 win at home against now-relegated West Brom. To secure a European football spot for the next season, they have to win their remaining 3 games and hope for other results to go their way. A win here will take them to 8th place, just a point behind the Spurs.
It will be the 203rd meeting between Chelsea and Arsenal in all competitions, with the Gunners boasting 79 wins compared to the Blues' 65. The last five meetings have seen 2 wins for each side, with Arsenal being the winner in the last two.
The previous league meeting between the two teams took place in December last year and ended in a 3-1 home win for Arsenal. Lacazette, Xhaka and Saka were on the scoresheet for the hosts, while Tammy Abraham scored the consolation goal for Chelsea.
Rivalry Stats
- Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 8 home Premier League matches against Arsenal (W6, D2), having last lost at Stamford Bridge by 5-3 back in October 2011.
- Chelsea have kept a clean sheet in 7 of their 8 Premier League home games under Thomas Tuchel, with the exception being a 5-2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion in April.
- Arsenal have never lost a Premier League match against Chelsea when facing them in a midweek tie (Tuesday or Wednesday), though 6 of those games have ended on level terms (W2).
- Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 5 away league games (W3, D2), winning the last two by an aggregate score of 5-0. The Gunners haven’t won 3 consecutive games on the road without conceding since May 2013.
Match Details
- Match: Chelsea vs. Arsenal
- Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
- Date & Time: May 13, 2021, at 12.45 PM IST
Team News
Chelsea
- Injured: Mateo Kovacic
- Doubtful: Andreas Christensen
- Unavailable: None
Arsenal
- Injured: David Luiz, Pablo Mari, Granit Xhaka
- Doubtful: Emile Smith-Rowe
- Suspended: None
Predicted Starting XI
Chelsea (3-4-2-1)
Edouard Mendy (GK); Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma; Ben Chilwell, Reece James, N'Golo Kante, Jorginho; Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech; Kai Havertz
Arsenal (4-2-3-1)
Bernd Leno (GK); Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, Gabriel Magalhães, Kieran Tierney; Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny; Nicolas Pepe, Martin Odegaard, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang; Alexandre Lacazette
- Chelsea form guide: W-W-W-D-W
- Arsenal form guide: W-D-W-L-L
Match Prediction
While Arsenal have enjoyed recent success against Lampard's Chelsea, they are yet to face the resilient and free-flowing unit put together by Thomas Tuchel. The most impressive thing about Tuchel since his arrival in England has been his utilization of the entire squad, whilst maintaining the extremely high standard of whatever first XI he chooses.
Arsenal will continue to keep an eye on every result from this point onward, but they may simply be overwhelmed by Chelsea's quality, strength in depth, and dogged defense here. With the FA Cup final just around the corner, expect a close battle between these old rivals and a narrow victory for Chelsea.
Howzat Dream Team
- Goalkeeper: E Mendy
- Defenders: A Rudiger, C Azpilicueta, K Zouma, K Tierney
- Midfielders: Jorginho, H Ziyech, T Partey, M Odegaard
- Forwards: K Havertz, P-Emerick Aubameyang
- Captain: H Ziyech/K Havertz
- Vice Captain: C Azpilicueta/P-Emerick Aubameyang
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11 by using your knowledge and fantasy premier league tips. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual starting 11 is announced by each team (60 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the fantasy 11.
Select your own team and play fantasy football on your favorite fantasy football app, Howzat!
