Chelsea Can Give Arsenal More Blues in Premier League

Chelsea vs Arsenal

London’s calling for the big game at the weekend as Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and Arsenal clash in round two of the EPL.

This is the toughest league in the world, with at least six teams capable of winning the title and the other 14 in a relegation battle. Both Chelsea and Arsenal are in a period of transition, with new head coaches and no Champions League football their fans are hoping for an upturn in fortunes.

Finishing fifth and sixth last season was no good for either, and while they look forward to Europa League football, a top-four place in the league is a priority.

Premier League 2018 betting markets suggest it’s a tall order, with Manchester City and Liverpool widely tipped to contest the title, there are really just two more places on offer.

Talking Points

Could either the Blues or Gunners make a serious challenge for the top spot? SBOBET tips believe Chelsea has the stronger chance of the two and the West Londoners certainly had the better opening.

Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea got off to a great start with a very comfortable win at Huddersfield thanks to goals from three key men. N’Golo Kante, new signing Jorginho and Eden Hazard scored, and they could well the players Sarri needs the most if he is to mount a serious title challenge.

N’Golo Kante to help Chelsea bag another three points when they take on Arsenal in the Premier League — New boy N’Golo Kante is expected to impress again vs Arsenal

Hazard came off the bench in West Yorkshire to score his goal, and Sarri may give his main man a start in place of either Alvaro Morata or Willian. When on form, the Belgian wizard can win a game in the blink of an eye. And with Brazil star Jorginho settling well after his £50m switch from Napoli, they could be an irresistible force.

And in Kante, Sarri has at his disposal a player every manager in the league would love to have with his non-stop running, brilliant tackling and pin-point passes.

In fact, the Frenchman is exactly what the Gunners have been screaming out for since the retirement of Patrick Vieira. Granit Xhaka is the man to run their midfield if he can find consistency and keep his discipline. But the Swiss midfielder was largely absent as Unai Emery had a baptism of fire last week when his Gunners succumbed at home to the League champions.

TV pundit and former Manchester United star Gary Neville has rarely pulled his punches, either on the pitch or behind the microphone, and he cast the Gunners as a pub team following that defeat. The 60,000 fans who turned up at the Emirates won’t like that, but they should expect some flak from rival fans after they hounded out former boss Arsene Wenger following his 22-year reign.

Emery will need time, and that is a valuable commodity in the Premier League as are his strikers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. Both have the potential to terrorize defences, and together they could be a force if Lacazette gets an extended run in the team.

Mesut Ozil still seems to be unhappy after his row with the German authorities, and getting the best out of his sensitive winger is one of Emery’s main objectives. If he can do that and get a supply to his front men, the goals will flow.

As always, the biggest headache for the Gunners is at the back, where left-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles limped off last week and may not be fit.

History

Chelsea and Arsenal have already met this summer. While a 1-1 draw in the ICC didn’t tell us a whole lot, the Gunners nicked the psychological edge by winning the penalty shootout.

Arsenal’s pre-season side looked particularly exciting in a 5-1 win over PSG, but the first 11 were brought crashing back down to earth last week in the league opener against Manchester City.

The overall head-to-head is close, as you’d expect from these two Premier League big guns, with Arsenal in the lead having won 25 times to Chelsea’s 22, with the figure being completed by 19 draws.

There were two 0-0 stalemates at Stamford Bridge when these sides met last season, once in the league and the other in the EFL Cup when Arsenal went on to win the home tie.

Betting Tip

	Chelsea vs Arsenal	Chelsea 1×2 @ 1.79
	August 19, 00:30 (GMT+8)

A defeat wouldn’t be calamitous for either team but it would be an early blow, and one which I suspect Chelsea can withstand the more easily. The early Premier League 2018 results could set a tone and the Gunners will want to avoid back-to-back defeats.

The most likely result is a 1-1 draw at odds of 6.80 but I think home advantage and momentum will work in Chelsea’s favour. I think they’ll have just too much for the Gunners, and Unai will have to wait another week.