Chelsea vs Arsenal: Big Bet Preview

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Chelsea vs Arsenal
(SUN 30 Nov, 4:30pm UK - Sky Sports)

This weekend’s Premier League action concludes with the biggest game of the lot. These sides come into the weekend occupying the top two positions in the table and off the back of huge midweek fixtures in the Champions League. Can Arsenal maintain their course to Premier League glory, or will Chelsea throw their hat into the ring as potential challengers? As far as Big Bets go - it doesn’t get much bigger.

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This game hardly ever disappoints. Two of the biggest teams in the country - if not the world - clashing in a London Derby always brings the fireworks. Cup finals, the race for European football and close-run title fights, this fixture has had it all over the years.

It’s still relatively early in the season, but Arsenal look the clear frontrunners for the title. Manchester City and Liverpool have faltered, the latter to an unbelievable degree, leaving the space open for the red side of North London to finally claim that elusive league title under Mikel Arteta after so many runners-up medals. If anyone can spoil the party, Chelsea might be the best fit. Arsenal come into this game looking to extend their lead at the top of the tree coming into a congested Christmas period, and Chelsea can shorten that gap to just three points with a win. If the Blues manage to claim victory here, with Arsenal’s growing injury list and the never ending depth of the Chelsea squad, the title race could be a lot closer than people think after the busy winter fixtures conclude.

It really is all to play for in the Tipple Big Bet this week - is the title on the line already?

Form

In a word; impeccable. Arsenal have only lost once all season, drawn twice and won on the other sixteen occasions. They haven’t tasted defeat for fifteen games and they certainly won’t want to start here, after a statement victory over Bayern in midweek spirits will be high and it looks like nobody is capable of toppling Arsenal on current form. Being so hard to beat has also left them with the third best away record in the division, only bettered on goal difference by rivals Spurs and Chelsea. This weekend is their first big test on the road since the narrow loss to Liverpool early in the campaign, a win here would be the cherry atop a very big, delicious cake for Mikel Arteta to tuck into after a near-perfect opening to the season. Even Arsenal can’t bottle it from here - can they?

Well, if anyone is going to give us a proper title race and offer some entertainment this season, it may just have to be Chelsea. They’re coming off the back of an amazing 3-0 victory against Barcelona in midweek and are deservedly in second place in the league after showing much more consistency than the teams predicted to be challenging Arsenal at the top, and Chelsea as a club just seem to have this intangible ability to keep winning things even when their squad doesn’t seem at the level of the competition. The Blues’ home form has been particularly poor, however, winning three and losing two of their opening six league games at Stamford Bridge this season - good enough for just 13th in the home table. Arsenal seem to thrive in a hostile atmosphere and won’t let the crowd at Chelsea get on top of them easily, an early goal for the home side might be necessary to swing the momentum in their favour on and off the field. They come into this match full of confidence, unbeaten in six and with just one loss in their last eleven games, everyone has written them off already - why can’t they go on and win it?

Head-to-head

Since the turn of the decade, after a long stretch in the 2010s where beating Chelsea felt like an insurmountable task for Arsenal, The Gunners have had Chelsea’s number.

From January 2020 until now, these two sides have faced each other in competitive fixtures on 12 occasions. They’ve drawn 3 times, Chelsea have won just once and Arsenal have come away with the victory on the other 8 outings. In fact, Chelsea haven’t beaten Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the league since August 2018.

It’s going to take a rewriting of modern history for Enzo Maresca’s side to take all three points this time out, but Arsenal’s run can’t last forever.

Key Battle

Moisés Caicedo vs Declan Rice

These huge ties are often decided by who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck and take control of the midfield battle, and I don’t think this time will be any different. The two £100m men have been pivotal to all things positive for their sides so far this season, and with the entire Arsenal strike force and Cole Palmer out injured in attack, the control of the midfield area will be more crucial than ever.

Both are also capable of pulling a goal out of nowhere, so it’ll be crucial that they marshal each other as well as focus on their own games to make sure that their team comes out on top.

Preview

A massive tie at the top of the tree before the Christmas fixtures kick off. If Arsenal win, you’d think the title race might be over before it’s even begun. A Chelsea result definitely makes things interesting.

Both played fantastically midweek against some of the trickiest opposition in Europe and will be full of confidence coming into this game, will Arsenal run away with it or can Chelsea push them all the way?

I wouldn’t be shocked to see them duking it out on multiple fronts as the season progresses.

Have Chelsea got enough in their arsenal to overcome the league leaders? Or will Mikel Arteta’s Gunners fire themselves further out in front with a statement win?

It doesn’t get much bigger - who are you going for?

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