Chelsea vs Arsenal
So it’s back folks.
Top-class football games in the country that created the sport we all love so much.
And if the image of a sunny Sunday August afternoon at Wembley in London is my usual vision of the annual showpiece between the league champions and FA Cup winners, then this one could be even hotter than normal.
Football betting fans will see this curtain-raiser as the chance to gauge the credentials of two proud clubs – one bidding to retain the title and gain revenge for last season’s FA Cup Final defeat, the other attempting to become a genuine challenger for the first time in almost a decade.
For, despite many false dawns, the Gunners have always lacked the mental toughness and belief to be there when it matters in most recent Premier League campaigns.
The cast at the Emirates may be largely the same – Arsene Wenger is still in charge, Alexis Sanchez is still reportedly unsettled – but the focus upon them is even sharper.
Especially as the future of the Chilean, who has just one year remaining on his contract, has been hovering over the club all summer.
However, if he stays, and Arsenal are adamant he will not be sold, then fans may feel optimistic and excited about how he could link up with their new £45-million arrival Alexandre Lacazette.
With no Champions League to look forward to – and Wenger reportedly intent on using fringe players in the Europa League –Arsenal’s title chances may be boosted.
It certainly benefited Chelsea last season as the total absence of European combat eased their fixture programme.
And as they showed in the FA Cup Final when they saw off the champions, the Gunners are still capable of rising to the occasion.
Of course, so are Chelsea who have already spent big with Antonio Conte suggesting he still has players to add to his roster between now and the end of the transfer window.
Their 93-point tally made them convincing winners of the Premier League with N’Golo Kante securing a clean sweep of the player of the year awards as the Blues became the first team to win 30 times in a 38 game season.
Yet their shrewd manager has recently shown signs of irritation, perhaps at the expected threat from other clubs, unless some of his pre-season comments are just the early stages of the psychological warfare.
Either way, Chelsea know this Wembley affair will be far more of an indication of what lies ahead than when they saw off an under-strength Arsenal 3-0 in a Beijing friendly a fortnight ago.
So it’s back to Wembley as these two clubs start the 2017/18 season, just as they officially ended the 2016/17 campaign.
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