Arsenal play host to Chelsea tonight in what is looking a scary encounter, with our players seemingly dropping like flies of late.
We come into the match without three of our better players so far this season, with Aaron Ramsey, Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac all ruled out, as well as Olivier Giroud missing, and Laurent Koscielny and Mesut Ozil set for late fitness tests.
The defender is supposedly only a 30% chance to start the match-up, with the German much more likely to be in the starting line-up, while our rivals have a near-full strength squad to choose from.
We also come into the match with dreadful form, having won only two of our last seven Premier League matches, and will be hoping the excitement of the big occasion paired with the derby emotions can bring the best out of our side.
The Blues haven’t been winning games in spectacular fashion, but have been winning the majority of their matches of late, and they will be hoping for a better performance this week than in recent weeks also.
Predicted XI:
Cech
Bellerin Chambers Mustafi Maitland-Niles
Iwobi Xhaka Wilshere
Ozil Lacazette Alexis
I think this line-up has more than enough going forward to cause the West London mob problems at the back, but have reservations about our defence coping with the pace and guile our opponents possess.
Chelsea rested Eden Hazard at the weekend with this match likely in mind, and he will be our opponents biggest threat going forward, along with record signing Alvaro Morata up front. Should we be able to stop the Belgian from splitting our defence we may well be able to come away with all three points today, but I’m struggling to be confident of our chances today.
I’m going for a 2-2 draw today, with Ozil teeing up Lacazette for the opening goal, but am hoping we can snatch the winner and keep us well within a shout of the top four spots.
What are your predictions for today’s crunch derby match?
Pat J
I can’t see us getting anything from this game… unfortunately
I agree cos Conte is too smart to get suprised by Wenger one more time. FA Cup final was one of the few occasions in which Wenger actually tricked somebody.
Chelsea 2 – Arsenal 0
That is the score I will be putting money on.
Analyze that!!!!!!!?
Betting against your own team, hang your head in shame! Disgrace!
His head knows better than his heart…?
For the record, I also think Arsenal will get beat tonight.
It still doesn’t mean you bet against them though. unwritten rule!
I predict Arsenal would use 3-4-2-1 again:
Cech
Chambers Mustafi Holding
Bellerin Xhaka Wilshere Niles
Ozil Sanchez
Lacazette
And I think the result would be 2-1 for Arsenal. COYG!
I think that fact that hazard was rested is the reason they win.
If you have noticed when we play against big teams the big players tend to score alot against us.
rooney at utd
kane at tottenham
hazard at chelsea
even messi whenever we meet barcelona
robben at bayern
aguero at city
This always happens because of one simple reason..WENGER will simply not ask one player to man mark the opponents best player.
we do not prepare for the opposition adequately..
and my friends that is one of the many reasons wenger has to go.
in this era of football you cannot afford not to manmark of find a way to keep a player like hazard off the ball.
manmarking is long gone as a tactic…. we are not in the 70’S anymore.Except,may be , in corners.Some fans critsize the manager but they don’t have a clue about management.
Man marking long gone! Tell that to any Man Utd manager/team. And they haven’t done too badly have they? Unfortunately.
pires you talk as if you dont know modern football and tactics.
are you by any chance wengers agemate.?
Nayr vs pires!
Ramsey lover vs Wenger lover.
That’s paradox, at least you guys should be going to the same hairdresser. 🙂
Expect nothing from Arsene’s Arsenal.
I have taken a hiatus from watching Arsenal’s matches since the first 5-1 trashing by Bayern. After last February I have watched maybe 4-5 full matches. Before that I missed maybe 2-3 games in a season, including EFL Cup, friendlies, Emirates Cup, everything.
I can tell you, I have NOT regretted this decision. Less stress, more time at my disposal and nothing so far has indicated that I have missed something. I still check the results and highlights and based on those alone, nothing has changed really.
Point is, you can take a year off from Arsenal completely and when you come back (if Wenger is still in charge), nothing has changed.
Same for me…and to think I used to fight with my girlfriend about me watching Arsenal games..would rather even sleep now than watch the same old mediocre rubbish.
THE GAME WILL BE EASY FOR CHELSEA MY PREDICTION ARSENAL 1-3 CHELSEA
i wonder if it’s a Chelsea forum or an Arsenalfans forum…Somes “fans” are a disgrace for the club.Go and support your oil stolen money club….Glory hunters
@pires
So we all should speak from the heart, and say an Arsenal win for every game? Now that’s not realistic, or interesting. Given our injuries, shocking form, infighting, Sunday league defending, and our tactically inept manager, and given Chelsea’s quality, and form, I’d say 1-3 is a fair shout.
As I said yesterday though, knowing Arsenal, we’ll beat Chelsea, and then drop points away at Bournemouth. Our team can barely string 2/3 wins in a row!
you have the right to give your opinion but the whole atmosphere around the club created by certain fans,who dare even to which the club a relegation in order to sack the mmanager, is toxic. your ,our role is to support the club whoever is in charge. And we must keep things in perspective oilski and the manchester club have farmore money to spend, the competition is ,therfore, not fair.
Ha ha ha ha
what about tottenham? liverpool? they dont have our money…are they moaning because of that? the thing here is not about money…wenger has money but he dont want to spend because he think he is more inteligent than anyone…the atmosphere here is not because of the fans, is because of a regime that stands no matter how we shows on the pitch…what are tose values u and wenger full your mouths?? today we dont play beautifull football (not a pragmatic one eather, thats for sure).
We are with the team and the players, not with arsene because he is not arsenal, even if he think so…nobody is bigger than the club, even arsene
Oh im behind the team through and through. But at some point, you need to realise that Arsenal is not the same club from a decade ago. We’re mid-table grade and I have embraced that fact knowing there won’t be a change. Check out any mid-table forum and they don’t hope for a win against a proper big team.
If arsenal win, it is a bonus and I’ll be happy as an arsenal fan. Others who predict a loss are also expected to be happy if arsenal win. But hey, let’s try speaking like a proper mid-table supporter and get used to it until change comes.
What u just said is disgraceful. Look where the f??k we at! Look where we are going!?? Fans have been more than supportive watching this s##tshow u call a team. Only thing Wenger and the team deserve is championship! Unfortunately we will be there soon together!
The fact that we haven’t competed for the title in 13 years, were a selling club for 7-8 years and let our best players go for free because they don’t want to extend, verifies the fact that any Arsenal fan still around is definitely NOT a glory hunter.
Pires we are just being realistic……..
pires we want arsenal to compete and win.
that is why we support arsenal..to win trophies.
if that is us being glory hunters then hell yea.
Chubba Akpom and Trevor Sinclair committed the same crime this week. Drink driving (both admitted it but i guess they had too as there’s evidence. Stupid boys putting people’s lives at risk.
Im worried about the team Wenger will lineup. Hes made a few silly decisions ie not starting Lacazette or Giroud. I would not start Xhaka or Iwobi. Ive lost confidence in them innit
Not very confident tonight on account of our defence and midfielders to make it worse arsene still goes on about quality in the squad, yeah quality alright only if you know how to get the best out of them unfortunately wenger doesn’t that’s why a lot of player’s don’t want to sign for arsenal
I would take a draw right now. Chavscum have too much firepower to not score tonight, we need to match them.
………MATT MACEY
DEBUCHY…MUSTAFI…HOLDING…NILES/MONREAL
……………………COQUELIN
………..WILSHERE……….ELNENY
…OZIL……ALEXIS……..LACAZETTE