Having ended a relative mini-slump with victory over Marseilles in the Champions League on Tuesday, Chelsea will be in a better frame of mind for their potentially crucial Premier League clash with London rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
After an explosive start to the new season, there may just have been a few seeds of doubt creeping into the mind of Blues’ fans following back-to-back defeats against Newcastle (in the Carling Cup) and Manchester City. Their first league defeat at Eastlands was all the more disappointing as Carlo Ancelotti’s men rarely troubled Joe Hart after scoring 21 times in their opening five games of the Premier League season.
If truth be told, their performance against Marseilles still left a few questions unanswered, particularly in midfield where Chelsea have looked a little one-dimensional without Frank Lampard. The England international will be missing for a few weeks yet, but Didier Drogba is available again following his European suspension and any team selection problems Ancelotti may pale into insignifance alongside those of Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal triumphed against Partizan Belgrade in midweek but were missing both captain Cesc Fabregas and Thomas Vermaelen as well as long-term casualty Theo Walcott. Neither of the first-named are guaranteed to be fit to face Chelsea and though youngsters like Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs have stepped up their game this season the Gunners, for all their free-flowing football, may yet be vulnerable in their games against the Premier League elite when not allowed time on the ball to weave their magic.
Wenger also has to decide whether he keeps faith with Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who saved a penalty against Belgrade but has made high-profile blunders in the past in key games. With Manuel Almunia also having a nightmare against West Brom last week, it’s not a straightforward decision. Like most other people, I enjoy watching Arsenal play but they still have a fragility that the better teams tend to exploit and I fear Chelsea will get all three points at Stamford Bridge (7/10). Given the Gunners’ likely lack of experience at the back again, the 13/2 about the home side winning by two goals could also be worth a second glance.
Predictions:
