Can Chelsea break their losing streak against a dejected Arsenal?

Author: Soorya G

Arsenal are still chasing the title and will face rivals Chelsea in a high-stakes Premier League clash on Wednesday. Meanwhile, they are looking to stay in with a remote chance of winning the league, having squandered a golden opportunity with a series of unfavorable results, leading up to the away clash against Manchester City, where they were brushed aside.

Pep Guardiola’s men played a brilliant game at the Etihad, with Belgian maestro Kevin de Bruyne scoring two magnificent goals. A win against Fulham meant Guardiola’s side regained top spot in the Premier League, while Arsenal have all but given up on chasing the dominant City, hoping for a slip-up on the road. It will take a lot more than just a slip-up, as Manchester currently have a one-point lead over Arsenal with a game in hand.

Arsenal, who were in a privileged position to win the league title after the first 25 games, began to falter. Draws against Bournemouth and Brentford hampered the team, while a defeat to Everton gave Manchester City the opening they needed.

As City’s pursuit increased, Arsenal once again looked to be returning to form, but draws against Southampton and West Ham United made their clash with City a potential decider.
It was City who struck the decisive blow with a magnificent 4-1 win, with Kevin de Bruyne scoring some excellent goals,
to destroy Arsenal’s dream of a league title 20 years ago.

Arsenal will now be hoping for an upset or two, as they will now have to rely on other results to have even the slightest chance of winning.

Chelsea are having one of the most shocking seasons in their history, having appointed four managers despite spending more than €500 million on signings last year. The team has rarely had a positive result in any competition, with the team unable to find its best combination despite having a huge squad at its disposal.

They resorted to sacking Thomas Tuchel at the start of the season, after spending large amounts of money on strengthening their squad. The reason for Tuchel’s departure was reported to be internal conflicts between him and the new ownership, led by American businessman Todd Boehly, although it was attributed to a lack of positive results. Tuchel was replaced by then Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter.

Potter arrived at Stamford Bridge with high expectations and received great financial backing, as Chelsea made a series of high-profile signings in the January window. However, none of these signings translated into results, as the pressure increased on Potter. The Englishman was also relieved of his duties shortly before a crucial Champions League quarter-final second leg against Borussia Dortmund. Although the Blues reached the quarter-finals, that would be the extent of their participation, losing to record champions Real Madrid.

After having Bruno Saltor in charge for a few games, the club turned to legend Frank Lampard as interim coach, without much success. With the top four still to play, Chelsea will be hoping to avoid the chance of relegation, as they are currently ten points clear. A few defeats can, however, change the equation enormously.

Team news:

Both teams are expected to play at full strength in this high-stakes encounter. With both sides having a lot to lose, the focus will be on getting the three points, and opting for the best XI to do so.

Expected alignments:

Arsenal:
Ramsdale; White, Segurando, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Saka, Martinelli, Trossard;

Chelsea:
Kepa; Fofana, Silva, Chalobah; Loftus-Cheek, Fernandez, Kovacic, Kante, Chilwell; Mudryk, Sterling;

Key players:

Bukayo Saka is currently having a dream season. The winger has 13 goals and 11 assists this season, and has been key to his team’s performance in recent seasons. The Englishman hopes to help Arsenal get as close to the title as possible, and an influential performance against Chelsea would go a long way to achieving that.

Enzo Fernandez is one of the most exciting young talents in world soccer at the moment and has been Chelsea’s brightest star since his arrival. He will be keen to stamp his authority with an impressive display against the title contenders.

Forecasts:

Arsenal to win

Although Chelsea have a squad worthy of envy, their performances throughout the season have been far from satisfactory, meaning Arsenal start as favorites.

Martinelli to score

The Brazilian has been outstanding this season, with a goalscoring record that would make a center-forward proud. Martinelli will be looking to add to his tally of 15 goals on Wednesday.

Silva to impress

The Brazilian veteran has been Chelsea’s most consistent player since leaving Paris. He is expected to perform well defensively at the Emirates.